PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who attaches great importance to women's freedom, has been a guiding light not only for Kurdish women but also for all women in the world with his assessments, determinations and solutions. Marking the 21st century with his philosophy of "Jin, jiyan, azadî (Woman, life, freedom)", which is on the agenda of all women's movements, the women leading the struggle for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan are expanding their international network. Women who are influenced by Abdullah Öcalan's ideas are fighting for women's rights as well as social freedom.

 

"It is now the duty of the Committee of Ministers to take concrete legal, diplomatic and political steps towards the release of Mr Öcalan," 115 academics, writers, painters and lawyers living in Germany wrote in a letter to Xavier Bettel, President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), calling for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan. One of the women among the signatories was Gisela Penteker, Turkey Representative of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). Gisela Penteker, who became interested in the Kurdish issue after meeting Kurdish people who came to her practice, has been visiting Turkey frequently since 1998. However, Gisela Penteker has been banned from entering Turkey for the last three years.

 

'CoE SHOULD PUT PRESSURE ON TURKEY'

 

Gisela Penteker, who is a member of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) as well as of the Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and Peace in Kurdistan Initiative, said about the purpose of writing the letter: "The hope is that the European Council might have a little influence in Turkish Government, because Turkey is member of the European Council. But as we experienced in the past time, they never really put pressure on Turkey to follow their suggestions. So I don't know if it really will change something, but at least we must try.  Because these are the organizations that might have influence from Turkey or put pressure on Turkey to find another way to cope."

 

Drawing attention to the isolation in İmralı, Gisela Penteker said, "Mr. Öcalan still is a very important person for the Kurdish people, they follow his ideas. Many of them have really put it into their hearts and try to follow them. And of course, they suffer when they don't get news from him. After so many years, he still is so much present in the Kurdish people. But I think it really would be a good chance for peace in Kurdistan, for peace Kurdish and Turkish people, if he could play his role again. But in the Western world, only very few people know about the problems. Our press, our media, they are not really willing to report about it. They report about sensations. When there is any trouble, then they report. But when there is good things, they don't report. So I think this new initiative is really a chance, because for the first time, I think it's really many German and European groups and organizations who are part of it. It's not only the Kurdish people here." Gisela Penteker underlined that the Council of Europe should also seek dialogue with the Turkish government and Kurdish representatives to find a solution to the Kurdish issue.

 

'KURDISH WOMEN ARE STRONG WITH ÖCALAN'

 

Stressing that Kurdish women in Turkey and women in North and East Syria are stronger because of the presence of Abdullah Öcalan Gisela Pinteker added, "If he could be there and represent his ideas and strengthen them, then it would be much more difficult for someone like President Erdogan to just skip the Istanbul Convention and things like that. But we experienced that the Kurdish women really did in all these years that we see it now, really developed a lot of strengths, a lot of own ideas, a lot of influence as well. I don't think that can be taken again. Even with all this oppression, it will stay. But of course, it would be a big, big help for them if Mr. Öcalan could represent his ideas and strengthen them, in diplomatic ways as well."

 

Gisela Penteker said that Abdullah Öcalan's freedom is important not only for the Kurdish people, but also for the wider struggle for human rights and women's liberation. "I didn't get to know him personally, but one of our colleagues did meet him in Syria before his captive, and he was very impressed. He's a very strong personality, and after all these years, he seems to be still strong. So of course, he could represent his Kurdish people, being a politician, being a strong man, and show that it's important that the solution must be peaceful. The whole region is suffering under this conflict. As you see it, in Syria now, there is no way to find a peaceful way and a good way without the Kurdish people and their ideas of a new society. It would help all the region, and, of course, the women as well," she added.

 

'WOMEN MUST BE ACTIVE'

 

Gisela Penteker, referring to the talks held by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party İmralı Delegation with Abdullah Öcalan, stated that women should be more active in the solution processes. Gisela Penteker said, "Women should make it part of their own programs and ideas. Because women who are not living free and political active like they do in many parts of Kurdistan, they have a very different approach to fighting and war and being Big Boss. Women have a different approach to that, and they are much more aware of the damage that war is doing to people. So if we had more women in real diplomatic and political circumstances it would help the world to get rid of some of their problems. As you can see now, everybody is calling for more weapons, for more security. What is security with weapons? It would be that we start in the very children, in the kindergarten to educate them in this way, to show them it's not fighting, it is living together. It's respecting one another, seeing the other one as a human being and not as an enemy or subject of what you are doing. So I think it would be a great win for everybody, if we manage to get more women in responsible places."

 

'WE HAVE TO GO ON'

 

"In this one state of the world we have now where everything only goes on profit and humans are not so important. I'm not very optimistic, I'm sorry, but that's what we have to try to make them see that it's important that everybody will every country will improve if we find solutions, peaceful solution. So we have to go on," said Gisela Pinteker and added, "I really wish that Mr. Öcalan comes free, that he can play his role. We are all very happy that he's still alive, because there were a lot of fear that he is very ill or something like that. And we wish him that he will come free and that he can play his role, and that we will make steps forward for peaceful solutions for the Kurdish people."

 

MA / Hivda Çelebi-Zemo Ağgöz