The second day of the panel on NATO Aggression, Anti-Terror Laws, Political Prisoners and Disinformation organised by the Anti-Imperialist Front was completed. Panels and workshops were held on three topics respectively on this day when the panels ended.
The first panel of the day was the Political Prisoners panel.
Lawyer Yener Sözen from Germany took the floor first. Sözen stated that there have not been so many political prisoners in Germany for a long time, that some of these trials are within the scope of “129 laws” and that none of them are unlawful decisions that cannot be included in this scope. Afterwards, Sözen opened the subject of 3 Turkish revolutionaries imprisoned and talked about the unlawful imprisonment and health problems of İhsan Cibelik. He stated that Germany applies these laws and oppression to all leftist groups, but there is a disconnect between the German Left and the Kurdistan Left in Turkey. He concluded his speech by stating that they should unite against these unlaws.
Sandra Trafilaz Yanez from Chile then joined the symposium with a video message. Speaking about the situation of political prisoners in Chile and Latin America, Yanez emphasised the importance of fighting together for the freedom of all prisoners in the world.
The third speaker was Zaid Abdulnasser from Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity. Describing the situation of prisoners in Palestine, Zaid stressed that the period since 7 October has been unprecedented in the negative sense for prisoners, with more Palestinians imprisoned than prison capacities. He concluded his speech by saying that if the conditions are more severe than ever for them, we must be more self-sacrificing than ever.
The panel continued with the Kononovich brothers, political prisoners under house arrest in Ukraine. The Kononovich brothers gave an example of the campaign for them and explained how international struggle and solidarity saves lives. Kononovich brothers also talked about the situation in Ukraine and ended their speech with a message of unity.
In the panel, which continued with the online connection of Ayten Öztürk, who was subjected to a similar house arrest in Turkey after Ukraine, Öztürk started her speech by greeting the revolutionaries murdered in Meriç and Palestine. In her speech, which started with her abduction from Lebanon and lasted 6 months of torture in Ankara, Öztürk shared her belief that she would win despite all the attacks. She ended her speech by saying Long live international solidarity and a thousand greetings to those who resist in Palestine and all over the world.
Sixthly, the representative of the Latin American Coordination Committee for Solidarity and Freedom of World Revolutionary Prisoners from Peru participated in the panel with a video message. The representative, who talked about the current situation of prisoners in Latin America and Peru, ended her speech with the message that the freedom of all prisoners in the world requires a common struggle.
The panel continued with the speech of Daria Mitina from the United Communist Party of Russia. In her speech Mitina exposed the hypocrisy of imperialist institutions and organisations. Mitina gave information about the content of the trials in Ukraine and ended her speech with a message of unity.
In the panel that continued with Grup Yorum, the members of Grup Yorum gave information about the pressures that Grup Yorum is under, their prisoners in Turkey and Germany, and the health condition of İhsan Cibelik. The musicians also talked about the resistance of İbrahim Gökçek and Helin Bölek and the history of Grup Yorum and ended their speeches by explaining that they are not just a music group, they are a subject of the struggle against imperialism and that the only way to overcome the pressure on them is to unite.
The next guest of the panel was the Committee for the Freedom of George Abdallah, which connected online from France. Stating that peace with the colonisers is not possible and that the struggle of Palestine is a struggle for existence, the representative of the committee ended his speech by saying freedom for Abdallah, Ali Osman Köse, all prisoners in Palestine, Turkey and the world.
Another online connection was made with the Jericho movement from the USA. Jalil Muntaqim, who was imprisoned for 50 years, participated on behalf of Jericho. Muntaqim explained the murderous history of the United States and gave the message that the freedom of all prisoners in the world can be realised through unity.
After a break following the first panel, the second panel was started. The topic of the second panel was Anti-Terror Laws. Before the speakers, the resistance fighters on an indefinite hunger strike against the German 129 laws introduced themselves and explained the reasons for their resistance.
After the resistors, the panel started with Wolfgang Letto from the German prisoner organisation Prisoner Info. In his speech he talked about imperialism, the history of German fascism and the history of struggle.
The panel continued with the speech of Jan Farmon, a lawyer from Belichka. Fermon explained that imperialism is attacking today to destroy all our legal gains and emphasised the history of the right to resist, its place in the law and its importance for humanity. Explaining the main purpose of the invention of anti-terror laws and the arbitrariness of their use, Fermon ended his speech by explaining the importance of the struggle for the protection of these rights.
Then a video message was shown from Alexandra Matamoros, who is involved in political trials in Catalonia Spain, such as that of Pablo Hasel. Matamoros greeted the symposium and gave a message of unity.
The next speaker was Günay Dağ from the People’s Law Office International. Günay Dağ explained that we should embrace the concepts of Marxism instead of bourgeois legal concepts. Explaining that their concept of terrorism is ours, the peoples’ struggle for freedom, Dağ ended his speech by exemplifying the legal distortions and similarities of lawlessness with the cases in Germany, Greece and Turkey.
The panel continued with the speech of Eda Deniz Haydaroğlu, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for over 230 days for the imprisoned revolutionaries in Germany, on behalf of the European Dev-Genç. Haydaroğlu explained the policies of imperialism’s attacks on the peoples and said that the only valid way is resistance. Haydaroğlu ended her speech with a call to struggle together. And the second session ended.
Before the third session, Moroccan Socialist Youth and Popular Action gave speeches welcoming the symposium. After these speeches, the third and last panel, the Disinformation panel, began.
The first speaker of the Disinformation Panel was the representative of AIF TV. In his speech, the representative talked about the history of disinformation, the importance given to it by imperialism, its areas of use and his ideas about what can be done against it. He stressed the importance of growing organisation against the disinformation attacks of imperialism.
Then a representative of the Press Project spoke. He talked about the role of the bourgeois media and how it tries to manipulate the minds of the people. And he talked about the importance of anti-imperialist journalists. Panagiotis concluded his speech by explaining the need to work together against disinformation.
The last speaker of the panel, Markus Heinzmann from Switzerland, gave information about how imperialism uses disinformation. Like the other speakers, he concluded his speech by calling for unity and struggle against imperialism.
