Kurds in Europe have been carrying out a vigil in front of the Council of Europe to demand the freedom of Kurdish people's leader, Abdullah Öcalan since 2012. The vigil continues in its 313th week.

4 Kurds from Sweden, Amara Arin, Axmed Bave Şiyar, Bayram Yıldırım and Tahsin Yurtsever, have taken over the vigil this week.

The activists stated that they have a promise to Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, and will continue the vigil action until his freedom is achieved.

Remarking that the Kurdish people will never give up on their Leader despite all the obstructions and attaks, the Sweden group said the imprisonment of a folk’s leader is actually the imprisonment of that folk. They also criticised the silence and “unacceptable approach” of the European countries and institutions that claim to be basing on democratic principles.

The group members criticised also the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) for ignoring its own founding and raison d'être principles, noting that concerns over the health of the Kurdish leader have not been relieved.

The activists ended, calling on everyone in Turkey and Kurdistan to vote for HDP and Selahattin Demirtaş on June 24 in the presidential and parliamentary elections.