NEWS CENTER – The International Committee for Meetings with Abdullah Öcalan and the Defence of the "Right to Hope" has launched an international petition campaign calling for the lifting of isolation on Imrali and the implementation of the "right to hope".

 

The campaign, including politicians, academics, intellectuals, and artists from different countries, has quickly gathered more than 500 signatures. With this strong support, the committee has brought its demands to the attention of international public opinion and institutions.

 

The statement emphasized that remaining silent at a time when the world is marked by war, oppression, and uncertainty means being complicit in injustice.

 

The statement added: "In an era where the world is increasingly engulfed in war, repression, and a narrowing of horizons, we—as a voice for the awakened human conscience—refuse to remain silent. To witness injustice in silence is to be complicit in its execution.

 

The International Committee for Visiting Abdullah Öcalan, following a coordinated global effort backed by more than 500 signatures from prominent political, academic, cultural, and artistic figures of diverse nationalities, presents its fundamental demand to the public and international institutions: the immediate termination of Abdullah Öcalan’s isolation and the global realization of the “Right to hope.”"

 

The statement continued: "Abdullah Öcalan—thinker and architect of the “Democratic Civilization” paradigm—has been held in the high-security Imrali Island Prison since February 15, 1999. For over 27 years, he has endured a condition that transcends mere physical detention; it is a systematic deprivation of “hope,” “dialogue,” and the “possibility of transformation.”

 

His prolonged isolation is not merely an individual ordeal. It reflects a broader, systemic policy designed to silence dissenting voices and suppress emancipatory horizons. Today, Imrali is no longer just the name of a prison, it is a symbol of the imprisonment of the very concept of hope."

 

The committee announced that the call, strengthened by the signature campaign, will be submitted to relevant international institutions, particularly the European Union and the United Nations.

 

The petition can be accessed here