International Initiative Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan - Peace in Kurdistan

Appeal

No to the death penalty! Peace now!

We come to the millenium, weary of violence and oppression, yearning for peace, justice, and tolerance.
Nonviolent interaction of people from diverse roots, and respect for human life are fundamental prerequisites for the realization of democratic aims in the emerging global society.
We invite the nations and people of the world to join with us in a commitment to cease all oppression of subject communities, to welcome cultural differences, and to assure equality in the extension of human rights to all inhabitants within existing national borders.
The overwhelming majority of national governments has expressed these goals in international treaties and resolutions that recognize the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, call for the end of capital punishment, and move toward the establishment of an International Criminal Court to enforce the violations of crimes against humanity by any state on earth.
At this moment, we have a rare opportunity to realize these ends in a land where, for decades, Kurdish people have been engaged in a heartbreaking, bloodletting struggle for recognition of their ethnic rights with armed forces of the government of Turkey which interprets its sovereignty on the basis of Turkish cultural hegemony.
As one turning point in this unending conflict, the president of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan now faces death. But with his help, we can seize the prospect for a new life, for the Kurdish and Turkish people to dwell together in peace.
We urge the Turkish government to eliminate the death penalty for all time and to accept Ocalan's offer to help secure peace and reconciliation with its Kurdish subjects.
We call upon both parties to the conflict to put down their arms and initiate a dialogue for peace and mutual accommodation.
We appeal to the leaders of the European Union, the United Nations, and of their member nations to invoke their good offices and energies to enable and countenance such dialogue and to help assure its achievement of a just and lasting peace.

First signatories of the Campaign "No to the death penalty! - Peace now!"

Netherlands Helsinki Committee (Netherlands), Prof. Dr. Noam Chomsky (linguist / writer / USA), John Curl (PEN Oakland / USA) Margaret Drabble (vice-president of English PEN / UK), Michael Holroyd (biograph / historian / vice-president of English PEN / UK), Moris Farhi (chair of Writers in Prison Comittee / International PEN / UK), Elliot Phillip (wirter / UK), Omar Sheikmous (writer / UK) Sheri Laizer (film-maker and writer / UK), Eric Beardsley, Alice Glenday, Jessie Munro, Denys J. Trussell (writers / PEN New Zealand), Marilyn Murray-York (journalist / PEN / New Zealand), Adrian Mitchell (poet / UK), Mimi Khalvati (Irian poet / UK), H.J. Firth (writer / historian / UK), Kiyoshi Nakagawa (writer / Japan), Uri Avnery (former member of the Knesset / Gush Shalom / Israel), Pierre Yonckheer (vice-president / MEP / France), Didier Claude Rod (MEP / France), Lucio Manisco, Giovanni Claudio Fava, Leoluca Orlando, Luisa Morgantini, Gianni Vattimo, Luigi Vinci (MEP / Italy), Luigi Colaianni (former president of the European Parliament PDS group / Italy), Gilles Savary, Jasmine Boudjenah, Harlem Désir (MEP / France), John Bowis, Baroness Sarah Ludford, Pauline Green (MEP / UK), Dr. André Brie, Dr. Helmuth Markov, Karin Scheele, Feleknas Uca (MEP / Germany), Hans Modrow (honorary president of PDS / MEP / Germany), M. Papayannakis, Efstratios Korakas, Anna Karamanou (MEP / Greece), Jens Dyhr Okking (MEP / Denmark), Matti Wuori (vice-president / MEP / Finland), Heidi Hautala (MEP / Finland), Marianne Eriksson (MEP / Sweden), Erik Meijer, Jan Joost Lagendijk (MEP / Netherlands), Laurence Van de Walle (MEP / Belgium), Concepció Ferrer (MEP / Spain), Dr. Heiner Geißler (ex-secretary general of the Christian Democratic Party / MP / Germany), Rainer Arnold, Rainer Brinkmann Ulla Jelpke, Heidi Lippmann, Prof. Dr. Christa Luft, (MP / Germany), Stefano Boco (Senator / vice-president of the foreign affairs commission / Italy), Giovanni Russo Spena (senator / PRC / Italy), Marie-Hélène Aubert (MP / les Verts / France), Domenico Gallo (former Senator / Magistratura Democratica / Italy), Dany Smeets (member of the parliament of Wallonie / Belgium), T. G. Avaliani, A. A. Turusin, P. T. Burdu-kov, S.S. Mitrokhin, V. V. Kuroghkin, I. I. Nikitchuk, Z. A. Kornilova, V. I Shandybin, A. A. Kuvayev, (members of the Duma / Russia), A. I. Yaroshenko (Committee on Geopolitical Issues / Duma / Russia), B.L. Eremeyewsky (Health Committee / Duma / Russia), Timchenko, I. M Galaiev (expert / Duma / Russia), V. V. Kudiaso, V. N. Malcev, K. N. Sakalav, U. N. Teryokin (adviser / Duma / Russia), E. G. Davidova (journalist / Russia), R. I. Spektor (chairman of presidium, Congress of National Unions of Russia), I. A. Fuki (president of Russian Peoples League), A. E. Dvoryansky (president of International Bioinformatic Center / Russia), K.G. Polidis (member of International Trade Unions Council / Russia), A. Grigoryewitch (vice-president of Russian United National Congress / Russia), Lord Rea, Lord Hylton (House of Lords / UK), John Austin, Tony Benn, Ken Livingstone, Lynne Jones (MP / UK), Marc Phillips (president of National Party of Wales / UK), Tommy Sheridan (member of Scottish Parlia-ment / Socialist Party / UK), Robin Harpen (member of Scottish Parliament, Green Party / UK) Bruno Aigner, Mag. Terezija Stoisits, Dr. Madeleine Petrovic (members of Federal Parliament / Austria), Gerhard Kilger (secretary of SPÖ / Federal Parliament / Austria), Søren Søndergaard, Keld Albrechtsen, Frank Aaen, Jette Gottlieb, Søren Kolstrup (members of Folketing / Red-Green Alliance / Denmark), Margot Torp (member of Folketing / Social Demo-crat Party / Denmark) Ion Mânzânâ, Ioan Sonea (senators / Romania), Valentin-Adrian Iliescu, Nicu Vasilescu, Prof. Gheorghe Yalceanu, Dimitriu Sandu, Viorel Burlacu, Constantin Baban, Viorel Pop, Constantin-Eremia Cotrutz (members of Parliament / Romania) Joe Tripodi (member of NSW Parliament / Australia), Julia Irwin (member of Federal Parliament / Australia), Hugo van Rompaey (honorary senator / Belgium), Michael Guilbert (member of Wallonian Parliament / Belgium), Jan Loones (member of Flamish Parliament / Belgium), G. Dallemagne (MP / Belgium), Dr. Ursula Hafner (president / SPS groop / Federal Assembly / Switzerland), Regula Brügger (SPS group secretary / Federal Assembly / Switzerland), Regine Aeppli, Hildegard Fässler-Ostwalder, Angeline Fank-hauser, Jacqueline Fehr, Barbara Geiser, Dr. Ruth Gonseth, Barbara Haering-Binder, Pia Hollenstein, Dr. Ursula Leemann, Liliane Maury-Pasquier, Maria Roth-Bernasconi, Silva Anita Semadeni, Franziska Teuscher, Dr. Ruth-Gaby Ver-mot-Mangold, Agnes Weber, Fredi Alder, Michel Béquelin, Dr. Fraçois Borel, Andreas Gross, Dr. Paul Günter, Dr. Armin Jans, Peter Jossen, Ernst Leuenberger, Werner Marti, Dr. Rudolf Rechsteiner, Jean-Claude Renn-wald, Dr. Victor Ruffy, Rudolf H. Strahm, Dr. Hans Widmer, (MP / National Council / Switzerland), Pierre-Alain Gentil, Dr. Thomas Onken, Prof. Dr. Gian-Reto Plattner (MP / Upper Chamber / Switzerland), Jean-François Steinert (secretary general / Social Democrat Party / Switzerland), Mario Carera (former president / Parti Socialiste Vaudois / Switzerland), N. Kortvelyessy (secretary general / European Federation of Green Parties / UK), Ersilia Salvato (vice-president / Senate / Italy), Jim Mortimer (former secretary general / Labour Party / UK), Mag. Walter Baier (president / KPÖ / Austria), Heidi Ambrosch (vice-president / KPÖ / Austria), Prof. W. Thompson (School of Social Sciences / Glasgow University / UK), Prof. Albrecht K. Konecny (scientist / Austria), Prof. Dr. Gerhard Stuby (public law expert / University of Bremen / Germany), Prof. Dr. Wolf-Dieter Narr (politologist / Freie Universität Berlin / Germany), Mag. Tobias Abse (historian / university lecturer / UK), Prof. Michael Gunter (lecturer / Tennessee Technical University / USA), Dr. Burhan Elturan (counselor / Indiana University / USA), Dr. A. M. Young (scientist / UK), Prof. Bruno Nascimbene (chair of international law / University of Milan / Italy), Prof. Antonio Papisca (director / Center of Humanitarian and International Law / Univer-sity of Padua / Italy), Prof. Iwao Kamozawa (Urawa / Japan), Dr. Andreas Buro (co-ordinator / Dialogue Circle "War in Turkey - Time for a Political Solution" / Germany) Michael Feeney (Westminster Diocese / UK), Dominique Tricaud (attorney at law / general secretary of the French Committee / Helsinki Federation for Human Rights / France), H. Brilmaker (secretary general of The Human rights League / Belgium), Hans Branscheidt (Medico International / Appell von Hannover / Germany), Hans Bogenreiter (member of council / Society for Threatened Peoples / Austria), Prof. Kevin Boyle (director / Human Rights Centre / Essex University / UK), Bruce Kent (presi-dent / International Peace Bureau / UK), Luciano Ardesi (International League for the Rights and Liberation of People / Italy), Tonio Dell'Olio (National secretary of the Pax Christi movement / Italy), Giulio Marcon (president of the Italian Solidarity Consortium / Italy), Felicitas Langer (Israelian laywer / Germany), Parvin Darabi (Dr. Homa Daribi Foundation / Canada) Christine Blower (ex-president / National Union of Teachers NUT / UK), Robert Sulatycki (secretary of Kensington and Chelsea NUT / UK), Hugh MacGrillen (London region secretary of MSF Trade Union / UK), Onay Kasab (UNISON Health Trade Union / UK), John Foster (general secretary / National Union of Journalists NUJ / UK), John Toner (northern region officer / National Union of Journalists / UK), P. Vigger (Ealing Trades Union Council and Greater London Association of Trades Councils / UK), Ian MacDonald (Queens Council barrister / UK), Roland Wanitschka (council member / ÖTV Trade Union / Germany), Ken Cameron (general secretary / FBU Fire Brigades Union / UK), ASLEF (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen / UK), Alessandra Mecozzi (International office of CGIL trade union / Italy), Susanne Zbären-Lüthi (secretary general / Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture ACAT / Switzerland), M. Rafael Jocha (ACAT / Spain), Marie-Hélène Blanc (director of ACAT / Canada), Louis Lafleur (photographer / ACAT / Canada), Göpf Berweger (Society for Threatened Peoples / Switzerland), Dr. Mauro di Vieste (Society for Threatened Peoples / Southern Tirol / Italy), Yohel T. Kanna (presi-dent / Assyrian-Australian Associaton / Niniveh Club / Australia) Christa Stolle (secretary / Terre des Femmes / Germany), Dr. Karl Martin (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Association / Germany), Onnik Krikorian (photojournalist / UK), Maurice Obeid (editor and chief / El Telegraph Newspaper / Australia), U. A. Hoklov (journalist / Duma / Russia), Will Archer (teatre producer / UK), Jan Fermon (lawyer / Belgium), I. N. Petrowsky (president / International Communist Movement / Russia), Ronald Ofteringer (Information Project Near and Middle East / Germany), Mehmet Sahin (managing director / Dialogue Circle "War in Turkey - Time for a Political Solution" / Germany), Maria Jepsen, evangelic Bishop / Germany, Peter Gingold (federal speaker / Alliance of Victims of the Nazi Regime / Germany), Heiko Kauffmann (speaker / PRO ASYL / Germany), Kambiz Behbahani (journalist / LAG Immigrants and Refugees Berlin / Germany), Dr. Ernst-Ludwig Iskenius (German Peace Society / Baden-Württemberg / Germany)