82 Nobel Laureates have issued a renewed call to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, urging decisive action to ensure the implementation of the ‘right to hope’ in the case of Abdullah Öcalan, while recognizing him as a leading voice for peace in the region.
This marks the third letter sent by Nobel Laureates to the Committee of Ministers over the past three years in solidarity with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan: first in protest against the conditions of total isolation imposed upon him, then in support of his call for “Peace and a Democratic Society” and the recognition of the “right to hope,” and now once again in support of his role as a voice for peace in the broader region. A total of 114 Laureates have endorsed these efforts, with Laureates from every year since 1995 (as well as from 1975-1990) participating and representing over a quarter of living Nobel Laureates.
The Laureates highlight that, at a time of expanding conflict in the Middle East, Mr. Öcalan’s consistent advocacy for dialogue has guided Kurdish communities and organizations toward peaceful and democratic solutions. They call for Abdullah Öcalan’s release and for him to be given full and unrestricted opportunity to participate in the ongoing peace process. At this critical moment, they emphasize that the world is in urgent need of leaders committed to peace.