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The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil began on 12 June 2012, in Strasbourg, to demand the physical freedom of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. The vigil has now entered its 652nd week. 

Each week, the vigil is carried on by Kurdish activists and their friends from across Europe. This week, the vigil was taken over by four Kurdish activists from Geneva: Nurettin Turgut, Hasan Inci, Ramazan Kızılkurt, and Rıza Çetinkaya. 

Nurettin Turgut, who is also a regular participant in sit-in protests held for Öcalan in Geneva and one of the 34 members of the "Democratic Solution and Peace Group" who responded to Öcalan’s call and went to Turkey in 2009, underlined the extraordinary period Kurds are going through.

He said: "We have taken over the vigil at a time when attacks against the Kurdish people are intensifying across all four parts of Kurdistan. The occupying Turkish state is especially targeting Rojava with its assaults. For centuries, we have known that the Turkish state sees its existence tied to the destruction of the Kurdish people. But we have resisted for a century, and now we see that the Freedom Movement is nearing its goal. Just as the enemy sees its existence in our destruction, we say no. We will not accept this. We exist, and we will continue to exist."

Turgut condemned the assassination of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin by the Turkish state. The two journalists were reporting about the attacks in Northern and Eastern Syria and the people’s resistance. "We will not bow to the occupiers. – Turgut said - On the contrary, we will succeed. Because we are right, we are a legitimate force, and we will bring this cause to victory. We will not allow you to destroy the achievements that have been made in Rojava through 45 years of hard work."

Turgut called on everyone to protect Rojava’s gains, regardless of party or ideological differences: "We need unity," he said.