A committee was established in Russia under the name of "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan under the leadership of the well-known politician Aleksey Valentinovich Mitrofanov. Mitrofanov had close contacts with Öcalan when he went to Russia in 1998 and conducted works to ensure the right for political asylum for Öcalan. The establishment of the committee was announced on Thursday with a press release held at the press room of Russian independent press center. Among the charter members of the Committee are KNK member Cemal Şamoyan and Mihrabi Şamoyev, President of the Kurdish diaspora. Making the first speech at the press release, Mihrabi Şamoyev started with the question why the freedom of the Kurdish people's leader, Abdullah Öcalan is of great importance for Kurds. Şamoyev indicated that solution to the Kurdish question wouldnt develop without Öcalans freedom and underlined that Kurds had advanced their fight for freedom more and more since the international conspiracy against Öcalan. Şamoyev remarked that Kurds were a great people in the Middle East and noted that the committee would conduct works in both the Middle East and Russia for the fair struggle of the Kurdish people. It should be known by everyone that the AKP government started the war, added the press release moderator Mihrab Şamoyev. Speaking after Şamoyev, Russian politician Mitrafanov said the followings; "Today, all countries, civil society organizations and intellectuals in the world are following Turkey closely, wondering how the issue of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish problem will come up with a solution. In Russia in the same way, many intellectuals, civil society organizations and politicians, are closely monitoring the Kurdish problem. We have established this committee for a solution to the Kurdish problem. Not any prisoner in the world today is like Mr. Öcalan who is one of the world's most prominent political prisoners. Even so many security measures show how important he is. Mitrafanov drew attention to the fact that the Turkish state hasnt taken any concrete steps so far while still refusing the fair demands of Kurds and and unjustly arresting thousands of politicians. Mitrafanov stated that they would firstly make a call to the state of Turkey and conduct their works for the solution of the Kurdish problem in a democratic way. Noting that Öcalan was a significant actor in terms of announcing the Kurdish issue to the entire world, Mitrafanov added that ensuring freedom for Öcalan was therefore the basic problem. Mitrafanov expressed that the Russian state would also support the works of the Committee and called on all intellectuals, journalists, civil society organizations and representatives of all minorities in Russia to take part in the Committee which he said would be carried into an international area soon. The Kurdish problem is the matter of the Middle East, not only of Kurds, added Mitrafanov. ANF / MOSCOW
