Monday, 6.11.23 – Press Release –
At the end of the World Youth Conference “Youth Writing History” in Paris, young people from all over the world reaffirmed their will to fight together for the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan. During the closing speech, Florian André emphasized that it was Abdullah Öcalan himself who developed the idea from which this conference was born and, on behalf of the conference’s preparatory committee, reiterated the importance of the struggle for his physical freedom.
After this successful conference where many new ideas and
perspectives were shared and decisions were taken, the preparatory committee is looking forward to discuss the results of this conference with Öcalan himself. Freeing him, who has given the initiative for such a conference and to report on what has been achieved with this conference.
It was made clear that the youth will not only wait for the day that Öcalan
is free, but will actively fight for it. Moreover, it is convinced that this day is not far away and will soon become reality.
Thus it was emphasized that 25 years of solitary confinement and torture and 32 months without a sign of life are enough, that this situation will not be accepted one day longer, and that the struggle will continue until the end, until the goal of Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom is achieved.
Following this closing speech, it was also announced in the declaration of principles of the Youth Writing History Network, which was shared with the press and public on behalf of the participants of the conference, that the participants of the conference will support the goals of the campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question and will actively participate in the campaign. The indigenous delegation from Cauca Colombia also emphasized its solidarity with the Kurdish liberation struggle in a statement on
stage and declared that the campaign for Öcalan’s freedom and that they consider
the struggle for his physical freedom as their own struggle.
Activist Lewis Maghanga, a member of the Revolutionary Socialist League of Kenya, also made a final statement on behalf of the youth from all parts of the world who attended the conference, reiterating that the struggle for the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan must be central to the struggle of the world’s youth:
“We would like to reiterate our demand for the release of Abdullah Öcalan. We, the youth of the world, see the continued imprisonment of Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdish liberation movement, as an attempt and an extension of the system to silence genuine voices of revolutionary change and to continue to oppress and exploit the majority of the working people of the world. We, the youth of the world, affirm that we see the struggle for the release of Abdullah Öcalan as an extension of the struggle against capitalism, against patriarchy, against Imperialism, against Zionism and against all forms of oppression and exploitation taking place all over the world.
Our constant struggle necessarily includes the demand for Öcalan’s freedom. In the face of 25 years of solitary confinement, which is an unacceptable situation, the struggle must be intensified.
The press conference and the statements were greeted with chants such as:
“Free, free, free Öcalan!”
