Thus far, the "Free Ocalan' campaign still sustains the Kurdish axiom, 'no friends but the mountains'. Although a vital concern of the freedom movement in Turkey, as well as the solidarity movement by Kurdish refugees around the world, it has received little other support for a quarter of a century.
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'. When the regime prohibited the South African press from quoting them or even publishing their pictures without ministerial permission, it hoped they would soon be forgotten. But like Mandela, Ocalan has intruded inexorably onto lists of irrepressible champions of peace, freedom and human rights.
Even so, powerful, entrenched 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, launched after he was charged in Turkey's "show trial.' However, this opposition must no longer be allowed to impede the call for the release of Abdullah Ocalan, as 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.
Soon after Ocalan was kidnapped and arrested in 1999, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit announced a special Turkish task force had captured the Kurdish separatist leader in Nairobi and had flown him back to Turkey, where he had been taken into custody to face terrorism charges. It became clear that Ocalan was given shelter at the Greek ambassador's residence in Nairobi before his capture. The conference was broadcast live by Turkish TV. Below is the full text:
"Esteemed correspondents, I have an announcement to make to you and our dear citizens: Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the separatist terrorist organization PKK is in Turkey as of 0300 [0100 gmt] this morning Feb 16, 1999. He was captured in on February 15, 1999, while being transferred from the Greek embassy to Jomo Kenyata international airport Nairobi, in an operation by the Millî İstihbarat Teşkil- tı (MIT) with debatable help of CIA or Mossad.'(4)
The Greek consul who harbored him, George Costoulas, said that his life was in danger after the operation. A Kenyan minister was forced to resign for allowing Ocalan and his guards to enter the country. President Bill Clinton's office said of the incident, "The United States has injected itself into yet another volatile ethnic squabble on the other side of the world, and it's an involvement we may all soon regret.'(9)
After Turkish officials, including the prime minister, had already admitted his capture, US officials acknowledged that Washington had tipped off Ankara as to Ocalan's whereabouts in the Greek embassy in Kenya. Turkish agents then grabbed him on his way to the airport and spirited him off to Turkey for trial. US officials admitted that the arrest was the culmination of an intensive four-month effort by theirs and the Turkish government to snare Ocalan. American intelligence information and diplomatic pressure on countries to deny him sanctuary were keys to his capture.
February1999 saw Kurdish protests erupt Turkey and the Kurdish diaspora throughout the world. In response to Ocalan's capture, Kurds staged protests in over twenty European cities, as well as Canada and Australia, some attacking Greek, Kenyan and Turkish diplomatic missions worldwide. An Israeli consulate was also attacked after Kurds alleged its agency's involvement in Ocalan's capture. Since 1999, protests have been held by Kurds in Turkey on February 15, every single year. Immediately after the capture, violent protests in Turkey led to fighting between protesters in many major cities. In Istanbul, protesters used hit and run tactics to torch vehicles and a petrol bomb was hurled at a bus belonging to the Turkish Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party, while police rounded up hundreds of PKK supporters. In total over 1,000 people were arrested and two prisoners set themselves on fire, one later dying of his injuries (10).
In Germany on February 17, 2000 Kurdish protesters armed with iron bars stormed the Israeli consulate in Berlin, accusing the Israeli Mossad of helping the Turkish government kidnap Ocalan. The allegations were strongly denied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After the protesters managed to break through police ranks and enter the building, Israeli Defense Forces opened fire on them killing three and injuring fourteen. Netanyahu defended the actions, claiming that protesters attempted to take a weapon from one of the security force members (10).
Greece denied charges that it handed Ocalan over to Turkey. Israeli Mossad head Efraim Halevi wrote to all employees of Israel's foreign intelligence agency and their families claiming, "I want to make very clear to all of you that we had nothing whatsoever to do with the apprehension of Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] leader.' (11)
When agents of the Turkish secret service greeted Ocalan with the cynical words, Welcome home, you are now our guest,' one thing Turkey's Public Enemy No.1 was certain of was the deadly hostility of his military "hosts,' who made no pretense of "fairness.' Immediately after Ocalan was snatched in Kenya, his Turkish lawyer was arrested, members of his international legal team were turned away at the border, and hundreds of members of the only remaining legal pro-Kurdish party, Hadep were imprisoned. The international left and workers' movement, particularly in Germany and Turkey, was rallied to take up the struggle to defend Ocalan and all other Kurdish activists. It supported the PKK by declaring, "demonstrations, rallies and occupations must take place with the aim of saving the life of the chairman of the PKK.' (MED TV News, 16 February).
Disgusted by the outrageous violation of international law, several intellectuals and representatives of civil organizations opened a central coordination office in March, 1999 for the International Initiative "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan -- Peace in Kurdistan' cause. Attending the press conference for the campaign launch in Brussels were the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy Ayla Akat, German deputy Andrej Hunko, Joe Ryan, Chair of Westminster Justice and Peace and Reimar Heider.
Lacking the power to arrest them, the Turkish government proceeded to detain and torture thousands of militants of the freedom movement, in order to crush all resistance. Repression in Turkey became a matter of acute international concern.
In spite of this in 2006, over three million people in Kurdistan, Europe and Russia signed a petition recognizing Ocalan as a political representative in Kurdistan. A year later toxicology reports showed the Kurdish leader's poisoning from heavy metals, substantiating remarks by Turkish authorities at his death reprieve that they would kill him not "just once, but every day.' Protests by his lawyers to the EU led to more precise medical examinations and the poisoning was stopped.
Changing or making laws to ensure Ocalan's solitary incarceration the Turkish Government has often been arbitrarily denied visits from his lawyers, had his conversations with them recorded by an official in the room and not received adequate medical treatment in his European Guantanamo style surroundings. Objections raised to such breaches of law have been ineffective in the military board run, extralegal juridical no-man's-land of Imrali, where human rights are systematically cancelled (12).
By October 2008, Ocalan gave evidence of his physical torture and death threats against him by his captors. These include years of solitary confinement under twenty-four hour camera and guard surveillance, and constant artificial light. Permitted to see his immediate relatives once a month through glass and a telephone, his one hour daily exercise regime is in a forty square meter yard. With no TV, censored letters and parts of newspapers and access to the local Turkish radio station are the only other forms of outside communication he is allowed. Written communication with anyone and spoken contact with his guards is denied, although anecdotal evidence reveals that a late night offer of a cup of coffee by a guard ended in Ocalan's acceptance on the grounds that the guard agreed to have one with him.
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