Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, activist and long-time supporter of the international campaign ‘Freedom for Öcalan – Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ Jody Williams sent a letter to Abdullah Öcalan, voicing support for his role in the process and calling for his rights to be recognised, notably the ‘right to hope’.
Dear Mr. Öcalan,
I’m writing to you with solidarity and with the awareness that your situation continues to raise serious human rights and legal concerns. Your many years in prison are not just about time served — they raise deeper questions about justice, dignity, and the rights every person should have under international law.
Long-term imprisonment weighs heavily on anyone. Yet over all these years, you have continued to show resilience and determination. That endurance reflects strong conviction and dignity.
Your case should also be seen through the lens of basic human rights principles. The European Court of Human Rights has made clear that even people serving life or long sentences keep a “right to hope” — a genuine chance of release and a meaningful review of their sentence. Justice should remain humane, and prison should never completely close the door to one day returning to society.
I also believe your experience, perspective, and leadership—both now and in the future—play an important role in advancing meaningful societal change. In times of conflict and division, dialogue is essential. Conditions should be created that enable you to contribute constructively to present and future peace efforts aimed at building democratic societies.
I hope these principles are taken seriously in your case. A justice system proves its strength not only through punishment, but through fairness, humanity, and proportionality over time. Your ideas on democracy, coexistence, women’s liberation, and peaceful solutions have inspired hope and encouraged many to become more engaged in public life. Your situation continues to resonate far beyond prison walls and reminds people of the ongoing importance of human rights and the rule of law.
Over the past year, nearly 90 Nobel Laureates have written to European institutions in support of your efforts toward peace and to call for the implementation of the “right to hope” in your case. I hope that your future will be guided by justice, dignity, and renewed opportunity.
Yours sincerely,
Jody Williams
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate