Instead of powerful supporters, Ocalan faces opposition similar to that of Balthazar John Vorster, the architect of the repressive measures under which Mandela and his colleagues were jailed in the 1960s. Vorster vowed that they would remain in prison "this side of eternity.' But like Mandela, Ocalan has intruded inexorably onto lists of irrepressible champions of peace, freedom and human rights.
Even so, anti-Kurdish influences rooted in deeply historical animosities have prevented the publicizing of the "International Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan-- Peace in Kurdistan' initiative for the release of Kurdish political prisoners. However, the release of Abdullah Ocalan would be the essential first step towards the release of all other Kurdish political prisoners, the ending of repression and state terrorism by Turkey, the removal of bans against the Kurdish National Council (KCK) and other Kurdish organizations, the removal of unjust polices, and the establishment of a racially neutral, democratic state in Turkey.
The 2013 liberation movement in Turkey has battled through hundreds of protests typified by that which followed the December 28, 2011 Uludere massacre, when Turkish warplanes bombed thirty-four mostly teenage smugglers of the local pro-government Kurdish community crossing into Turkey from Iraq.
While the worldwide observance of the sixtieth birthday of Nelson Mandela became a very effective demonstration of solidarity, the fourteenth anniversary of the capture of Abdullah Ocalan was marked on February 15, 2012 by tens of thousands of angry protesters in over fifty Kurdish centers in Turkey, demanding freedom for Abdullah Ocalan. Police forces interfered with the marches and dozens of people were taken into custody.
Abdullah Ocalan's Awards and Honors
As the Middle East and Asia Eminent Persons Group observed in 2013, he has become a living legend, galvanizing the resistance in those countries.
The Struggle Veterans Action Committee (SVAC) nominated him for the first International Peace Award at a prestigious event held recently in Cape Town, South Africa. A founding member of The Kurdish Human Rights Action Group (KHRAG), Justice Essa Moosa received the International Peace Award on behalf of Mr. Ocalan
On 11-15 July, 2012 at the 13th National Congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP) in oNgoye province, Kwa Zulu Natal, attended by 2,000 delegates and fifty-seven international guests, Ocalan received another award. With 150,000 members, the SACP is the second biggest party in South Africa. Together with the African National Congress (ANC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), it is part of the ruling tripartite alliance.
When the SACP gave Ocalan a Special Recognition Award, its General Secretary, Blade Nzimande recognized him as, "a revolutionary internationalist fighter and a symbol of the Kurdish freedom struggle. A political prisoner isolated in a Turkish island prison under atrocious inhumane conditions, his relentless struggle for peace, democracy and socialism for the peoples in the Middle East remains a beacon of progress against imperialism and colonialism.'
Due to Ocalan's ongoing total isolation, the award was received by a spokesperson of the international initiative, "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan -- Peace in Kurdistan' on his behalf. Emphasizing the extremely isolated conditions Ocalan is held under, Mr. Heider stated, "Since more than eleven months, nobody has seen him, no lawyer, no family members. There is no telephone, no letters. We have no news of him.'
SACP awards are given every five years during party congresses for outstanding achievements in the struggle. Other awards were granted to Raoul Castro (Cuba), Che Guevara, outstanding members of the SACP, former guerrilla leaders and a fighter against corruption.
Similarities and differences between two campaigns
The campaign for the release of Abdullah Ocalan now also has a new sense of urgency. Although the Kurdish people do not have support in the US like the honorable Nelson Mandela acquired, it is time for both Houses of the United States Congress to adopt an Ocalan freedom resolution. The US Congress must understand that Aryan Kurds are related to most Americans by blood, and as such have real ties with them that have been broken, but can easily be restored. Abdullah Ocalan may be a stranger to the American people, but so was Nelson Mandela until the story of his fight to end apartheid was publicized. This campaign to inform Americans of racial discrimination against Kurds in Turkey is designed to break down the barriers of ignorance and develop empathy between Americans of all heritages and the Kurdish people.
On October 11, 1984, three United States organizations, the National Alliance against Racist and Political Oppression, the United States Peace Council and the National Anti-Imperialist Movement in Solidarity with African Liberation presented petitions to the United Nations signed by over 34,000 persons for the release of Nelson Mandela. Again it is hoped that agitation about the Kurdish cause will attract similar interest and actions.
In Britain, SATIS (South Africa - the Imprisoned Society), associated with the Anti-Apartheid Movement and supported by many organizations, greatly expanded its efforts for the honorable Nelson Mandela's freedom. A National Petition campaign, "Free All Apartheid's Detainees,' was launched on June 11, 1987 by Archbishop Trevor Huddleston and Norman Willis, general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, with the support of many organizations.
Britain's SATIS (South Africa - the Imprisoned Society), organized a national petition to free Mandela. A similar petition campaign for the honorable Abdullah Ocalan met with a disappointing response, reinforcing the Kurds' sense of isolation from the international community. Once PKK troops reached Iraqi Kurdistan after the ceasefire with Turkey in 2013, only 60,000 signatures were collected there to help free Ocalan, when 5 million are needed. But it is not too late for another petition to go viral.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
