A press conference in Cologne on 1 March marked the launch of the second phase of the “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question” campaign, expanding the movement’s scope and extending the call for international solidarity. German politician Jörg Detjen attended the conference, and spoke there, highlighting the urgent need to release Öcalan.

Fréderike Geerdink confronts the weaponization of rape accusations in conflict zones, particularly spotlighting a recent UN report implicating Hamas in alleged sexual violence during the 7 October attack in Israel. Geerdink scrutinises the broader context, drawing parallels between Israel's tactics and those employed by Turkey in Kurdistan, emphasising the need to dismantle patriarchal systems to truly liberate women from exploitation in propaganda wars.

A new Kurdish music video in the tradition of national mythmaking provides both a Kurdish myth and a universal story of the fight against patriarchy. In contrast to its optimism, this news review examines the failure of the CPT to visit Öcalan; Turkish attacks on North and East Syria and the situation in areas under Turkish occupation, including the lack of international response; continued ISIS attacks and arrests; Turkey’s diplomatic and military campaign in Iraq; the election in Iran; and judicial turmoil in Turkey

In her latest piece, journalist Fréderike Geerdink delves into the alarming human rights abuses documented in a new report by Human Rights Watch, shedding light on the Turkish army and its proxies' actions in occupied territories of Syria. Geerdink scrutinises the international response, particularly from the EU and US, highlighting accusations of complicity and indifference towards the plight of victims and refugees.

"The PKK poses no threat to the USA or the European Union. Nor does it threaten Turkey's territorial integrity. There is no longer any reason why the PKK should not finally be removed from the US terror list and the EU terror list, opening the door to the revival of an urgently needed peace process in Turkey and ultimately in the entire Middle East. The destabilising effect of this conflict would come to an end."

As we pass the 25th anniversary of Öcalan’s incarceration, this week’s review looks back on the events that led up to his abduction in an international plot, and at the reaction of the Kurdish Freedom Movement. It then returns to the present to discuss campaigns for Öcalan’s freedom, interference in Turkish electoral politics, Turkey’s latest environmental disaster, and events in other parts of Kurdistan.

Sarah Glynn returns to the earthquakes that devastated Turkey last year, focusing on how only a fraction of the promised new homes have been built, and planning is guided solely by profit. Read her latest weekly news review:

"Running with Başak Demirtaş would have made AKP's Murat Kurum’s victory too easy. By running with another candidate, both AKP and CHP will have to make an effort to please Kurds to vote for them. Thanks to Demirtaş, who showed the establishment that Kurds are ultra eager to vote for ‘one of their own’."

"Hajir Faramarzi, Mohsen Mazloum, Vafa Azarbar and Pejman Fatehi didn’t die, they never will: they will be remembered and live on. The regime will die. The regime is weak, surviving just because of their brutality, but without a spine and without any popular support: they couldn’t be weaker."