Born in 1976 in Sanliurfa, Omer Ocalan is a lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the province. ...
Born in 1976 in Sanliurfa, Omer Ocalan is a lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the province.
He is the son of Mehmet Ocalan, the eldest brother of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. He has visited his brother, who has been imprisoned on Imrali Island since 1999, three times since 2016.
In this interview, Omer provides information on his uncle's living conditions in detention.
He also explains the two "dimensions" of HDP's policy, asserting that the struggle for Kurdish rights on the one hand, and the quest for brotherhood with other nations and ethnicities on the other, are not incompatible.
Founded in 2012, the HDP was originally founded in defense of Kurdish cultural and political rights.
The party later sought to broaden its range of supporters.
It is now supported by Kurds, Turks, Alevis and other groups, and is the third-largest party in Turkey, having won an 8.4% share of votes in the Turkish parliamentary election of June 2018.
The HDP's pro-Kurdish stance have put it at constant loggerheads with Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), who claim the HDP is the political wing of the PKK.
Then party co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were detained in November 2016 on terror-related charges.
On August 19, the HDP mayors of the Kurdish cities of Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin were removed from office due to alleged PKK ties.
The party mediated a peace process between the PKK and Turkish state in 2013.
The process brought a short-lived, two and a half year pause to the decades-long conflict.
Rudaw: Your father, Mohammed Ocalan, recently visited Abdullah Ocalan.
What is your uncle's current situation in prison?
Omar Ocalan: On the second day of Eid al-Adha, my father visited Abdullah Ocalan at Imrali prison.
He appeared to be physically well.
My father had asked about his health. In response, he said: there is bloodshed in Kurdistan and the Middle East, where Kurdish youth are getting killed daily; asking about my health under these conditions is unsuitable. He has been in prison for 20 years.
We were out of touch with him for a month and a half.
On August 7, 2019, his lawyers visited him in prison.
Then on August 12, 2019, his brother visited him too.
Does Abdullah Ocalan have any illnesses that you know of?
No. He hasn’t spoken about his health during these visits.
Under what conditions is Ocalan being held? Is he allowed to watch the news? How many television channels is he allowed to watch? How many newspapers is he being given to read?
He had access to a radio receiver in the past. Recently, they installed a television set for him.
They give him newspapers, but a week after their publication.
Which television channels is he allowed to watch?
He is allowed to watch 10 to 15 Turkish television channels, including TRT and some others. There are unfortunately no Kurdish channels for prisoners to watch.
Does Ocalan still read and write?
Ocalan continuously reads and writes. He is currently engaged in big negotiations for the future of the Kurds and to resolve the Kurdish question in the Middle East. Recently, he has spoken about women’s issues.
Do the other prisoners in Imrali have access to him?
Three of his friends are in the same prison, but not in his cell. Their contact is limited. There are sporting activities in prison. They get to see each other on these occasions in a limited way.
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is an umbrella group that includes different factions. The HDP mainly focuses on a solution to the Kurdish problem, but also says it strives to resolve the problems of all communities in Turkey. How does Ocalan see HDP’s politics?
We can say that the source of HDP’s politics is Ocalan. The party depends on Ocalan’s philosophy for its endeavors, to ensure brotherhood among nations and strengthen such ties.
It is true that, on the one hand, [the HDP] endeavors for a national spirit for the sake of Kurdish unity – but on the other hand, the representation of some people with different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds who live in Middle East - especially Turkey - is done under the umbrella of the HDP too.
Does he have any criticism of the HDP?
He wants the HDP to be more involved with society, to organize society more.
Has the HDP addressed what Ocalan is calling for?
The HDP is taking on its role to address these things, and we should take the Turkish state’s attacks on the HDP seriously.
The HDP is often not seen as a party belonging to Turkey. They somehow want to distance the HDP from the entire Turkish system.
That is why they accuse the HDP of terrorism and other things.
These accusations are not new to us.
That is why we should reach out to our nation more and organize our nation more.
Our party is the party of nations.
Hence, it will not be good for us to cut our ties with the people.
And this is true of all political parties.
The HDP says it is a party belonging to Turkey that wants to work for a free society.
To what extent the Kurdish demands concur with the policy pursued by the HDP?
It is those of us within the HDP that represents the Kurdistani spirit.
On the one hand, the HDP strives for brotherhood among all nations. On the other hand, it strives for unity among Kurds and Kurdish interests
Do you think so?
Yes. The HDP pursues a two-pronged policy.
On the one hand, the HDP strives for brotherhood among all nations.
On the other hand, it strives for unity among Kurds and Kurdish interests. You can see that there is a lot of pressure on the Kurdish language nowadays. There is pressure on the Kurds, and there are efforts to eliminate Kurdish society.
Kurds across northern Kurdistan currently have no status, and their future is unclear. There is no Kurdish word in Turkish laws or its constitution.
No one cares about their status.
That is why, on the one hand, the HDP is striving for this [Kurdish interests].
On the other hand, the HDP strives for brotherhood between nations, to develop democracy so that the Turkish nation accepts the Kurdish nation.
It will not be enough to say you are striving only for the Kurds. We should work for other communities as well
Which of the two policy dimensions you said the HDP is pursuing, is stronger?
You said the HDP strives for recognition of the Kurdish language and cause, but HDP co-leaders have been criticized for not knowing Kurdish. What do you make of this?
Both dimensions run parallel with each other.
They both strengthen and complement each other.
It will not be enough to say you are striving only for the Kurds. We should work for other communities as well.
These are our responsibilities.
Kurdistan has been divided into four parts by invaders.
These countries are a pursuing a policy to eliminate the Kurds.
That is why we need to have relations with other nations.
The problem of [being unable] to communicate in Kurdish exists both within our party as well as within the society.
The state has been successful in putting pressure on the language and the HDP should behave sensitively in this regard.
The HDP strives for Kurdish unity and brotherhood.
Kurdish parliamentarians, or those who do politics in the name of Kurds, shouldn’t shy away from their responsibilities when they see Kurdish unity or policy not moving forward.
Above all, we feel this responsibility.
There is on the one hand fighting in Turkey, and on the other, ongoing visits to Abdullah Ocalan by his lawyers. Ocalan has asserted his own stance in order for the peace process to continue. Former HDP MP Altan Tan recently said that Ocalan is preparing to call on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to disarm. What do you think of this?
There is currently a big war which has spilled over the borders of southern Kurdistan [...] we should stand up and prevent the war
Abdullah Ocalan is leader of the PKK and the public will be aware if he makes such a call.
The former HDP MP has said certain things and she is responsible for truth of what she has said.
There is currently a big war which has spilled over the borders of southern Kurdistan, and the Turkish state will broaden the parameters of the war.
And we should stand up and prevent the war.
Does such a possibility [Kurdish prevention of war] exist?
The fighting has been ongoing for 40 years. PKK and Kurdish leaders know why they made the decision to fight. It is they who will know if a decision should be made to stop fighting.
The leader of the PKK has said he can resolve this question in a week and stop the war.
Do you think the war will stop or the peace process resume?
We believe in Ocalan and he can resolve this matter in a week, if the state wants.
The problem of Kurdistan (northern Kurdistan) will not be resolved without Ocalan.
Do you think the agreement between Turkey and the United States to establish a joint operations center in Rojava will bring about any solutions for the Kurds?
Turkey’s strategy in the West and in the Middle East is in shambles. War will do no good for the Republic of Turkey
The people of Syria should decide their collective fate themselves. Nowadays, no one talks about the nation of Syria, while there are Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Armenians living there. Unfortunately, the US, Turkey, Russia and other countries want to pursue an agenda in the Middle East, and the center of the agendas is Kurdistan.
Turkey’s strategy in the West and in the Middle East is in shambles. War will do no good for the Republic of Turkey.
Turkey should change its current ineffective strategy with the West.
It is good for coalition forces to be between Kurds and Turkey. International coalition forces for peace should remain if Kurds and Turkey fail to reach an agreement.
And I don’t think the US will continue to back Turkey because US politics will change at some point.
Turkey’s foreign policy is in ruins and it will not be good for Turkey to maintain its current policy towards the Kurds.
Do you regard yourselves as Kurds and nationalists or not?
In your social media outlets, you mainly champion for a national spirit.
You also say Kurds don’t need a state.
There is a paradox here.
Do you think the Kurds need a state of their own or not?
We need to strengthen national spirits, something we are closer to attaining. Meanwhile, we are protecting fraternal relations between nations.
We are prepared to do whatever we can for Kurdish unity.Kurdish people shouldn’t be killed by Kurds or other people
We need to strengthen national spirits, something we are closer to attaining. Meanwhile, we are protecting fraternal relations between nations.
The Kurdish nation has been suppressed in all ways. How can we forget Anfal, the events of Gali Zilan, the execution of Sheikh Sahid, or the mass murder in Dersim?
The Kurdish nation should remember these attacks and behave accordingly.
You can call it a state; some people call it democratic autonomy, federalism, or confederalism. What is important to have is Kurdish representation and status.
We saw the issue of Kirkuk and the referendum.
There are some facts which we should consider.
We see Kurdistani spirit and real representation.
A few days ago, Mr Masoud Barzani [former Kurdistan Region president] said Kurdish blood shouldn’t be shed by Kurds.
We see this stance as valuable and historic.
Masoud Barzani should exert his role and influence, and we are prepared to do whatever we can for Kurdish unity.
Kurdish people shouldn’t be killed by Kurds or other people. We can take another step forward.
There should also be no bloodshed in the Middle East.
Do you have any message for the PKK too?
Our message is directed to all Kurdish parties because the future of the Kurds lies with them. Those who consider themselves Kurds or Kurdish parties should use their role and influence for Kurdish unity.
We see what Masoud Barzani said as valuable.
We don’t want to see anyone’s blood shed at the hands of Turks, Arabs or Persians.
Has Abdullah Ocalan received Masoud Barzani’s statement that Kurdish blood shouldn’t be shed by Kurds themselves?
When Turkey today opens up bases in the Kurdistan Region, on the grounds of PKK presence, in the future it will backfire. It will be hugely damaging for southern Kurdistan
We don’t really know. Mr Ocalan has also called on southern Kurdistan administration not to allow it [Kurdish bloodshed], not to open the doors of war.
When Turkey today opens up bases in the Kurdistan Region, on the grounds of PKK presence, in the future it will backfire. It will be hugely damaging for southern Kurdistan.
When the door is not opened for Turkey, Turkey cannot attack or invade the Kurdistan Region’s land and orchards.
We cautiously act on this belief and call.
A lot has come upon our oppressed nation.
Kirkuk has been cut from the Kurdistan Region.
Afrin, Nusaybin and Cezire have seen massacres.
And in Iran, Kurds have had much inflicted upon them.
We are going through a historical period. We each have a responsibility to play our role.
We have called for brotherhood among nations, and for duty among Kurds, so that they solve their problems among themselves and strengthen their unity.
Translated by Salim Ibrahim
www.rudaw.net
