Rende Municipal Council of Cosenza, Italy, unanimously granted PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan honorary citizenship.

Rende Mayor Marcello Manna stated in his speech at the city council that he voted in favor of Öcalan for honorary citizenship, and told: "We wanted to highlight the importance given to human rights withthis decision. We think it is necessary to emphasize the denial of human rights in Turkey."

 

Emphasizing that Öcalan is fighting for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish Issue, Manna said: "Democratic confederalism proposed by Abdullah Öcalan is an alternative social model based on equality and recognition of ethnic, religious, cultural and gender diversity."

 

ÖCALAN HAS A KEY ROLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

 

Municipal Council Cultural Committee Member Marta Petrusewicz reminded that the International Peace Bureau (IPB Italy), one of the long-established human rights institutions, gave Öcalan a "Peace Prize" in 2016 and said, "It is no coincidence that these awards have been awarded. Abdullah Öcalan, who has a key role in the Middle East peace process, is the symbol of the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people."

 

'HE IS HELD UNDER SEVERE ISOLATION'

 

Noting that Öcalan has been fighting a political struggle for the armed struggle to achieve a fair and permanent peace for more than 40 years, Petrusewicz said: "For 22 years, he has been kept under severe and inhumane isolation conditions in a special Turkish prison on the island of İmralı. His basic human rights are violated, his life is constantly in danger. He is not allowed to be visited by his family and attorneys."

 

'EXISTENCE IS DENIED'

 

Municipal Council Member Lisa Sorrentino said, "The Kurdish people have been crushed for years by the Turkish state, which denied their existence, bombed their villages, murdered and tortured thousands of people." Also pointing out to the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention recently, Sorrentino noted that the point Turkey came in terms of human rights is dramatic for all international society.

 

HONORARY CITIZENSHIP

 

Öcalan has been granted honorary citizenship by many municipalities in Italy so far. Among the municipalities that gave citizenship to Öcalan are Palermo, Napoli, Palagonia, Reggio Emilia, Riace, Martano, Pinerolo, Castel de Giudice, Castel Bottaccio, Berceto, Cinquefrondi, Fossalto.