Prominent European parliamentarians convened at the Council of Europe (CoE) in Strasbourg today to kick off an international campaign calling for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and a political resolution to the Kurdish issue.

The press conference featured key figures such as the UK’s former opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, Catalan parliamentarian Laura Castel, and French parliamentarian Emmanuel Fernandes, a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Each stressed the importance of Öcalan’s physical freedom and called on the CoE and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to fulfil their responsibilities.

Jeremy Corbyn emphasised that Öcalan has been imprisoned for an extended period and has been denied any contact with his family and lawyers for over two and a half years. “We want to bring an end to violence, an end to fighting and releasing Öcalan is part of that process so that he can make that positive contribution to bring back peace,” Corbyn stated. He added that Strasbourg, as the home of the European Court of Human Rights, should encourage democratic action.

Laura Castel noted that without Öcalan’s release, and dialogue between Turkey and Öcalan, it is impossible to talk about solving the Kurdish issue.

Emmanuel Fernandes further criticised Turkey for not adhering to international agreements signed as a member of the Council of Europe, “Our message is clear: freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, so he can play a very important role in the political and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue.”