DTK co-chair and HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven and Hewlêr hunger striker Nasır Yağız sent a video message to the rally in Strasbourg to mark the 20th anniversary of the 15 February international conspiracy which led to the abduction of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

On the rally stage a banner saying “Let's break isolation, destroy fascism, liberate Kurdistan” was hanged together with another demanding the CPT and the Council of Europe to take action against isolation.

Tens of thousands of people joined the rally chanting slogans in support of freedom for Öcalan and Leyla Güven and the resistance by the hunger strikers.

HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven, who is on her 101st day of hunger strike and Nasır Yağız, who has been on hunger strike for 88 days, sent a video message to the rally in Strasbourg.

Güven saluted Kurds and people in Europe

Saluting the people gathered in Strasbourg, Güven noted that long marches and resistance in many areas gave hunger strikers strength.

She added: “Dear friends, comrades, who live thousands of miles away and never give up their patriotism in this process, I greet you all with Amed dungeon resistance spirit.

The hunger strikes carried out by our friends in four parts of Kurdistan and the prisons as well as in Strasbourg have reached a critical and important stage.

With these actions, we have told to the whole world that isolation should be broken. The biggest share of this falls on our people living in Europe. It was the occasion to make our voice heard in the world. I wholeheartedly believe that our action will succeed.”

We won’t be free while isolation continues

Güven added: “As long as isolation continues, we will never be free. Our freedom is trapped under isolation in Imralı. Women, young people and the entire Kurdish society in Turkey and the Middle East are under isolation. We tried to explain this. I hope that our action is understood and taken into consideration. Ending isolation will unlock the door to peace in the Middle East.”

Don’t be sorry for us, go out and act!

Güven insisted: “We are going through a difficult process, but we have a just and legitimate case. Our struggle is the struggle for being human. Our struggle is the struggle for freedom. We paid the price for it, and we're still paying it.

So I do not want our people to be upset about this action. Perhaps one of us may be martyred, but what is important is that this action reaches its ultimate goal. We are very close to achieving this goal. I want everyone to be high in spirit.

We're walking towards death with good spirit. Because that's what we learned, that's what we saw. Everybody should stand on the streets until isolation ends. Until this struggle will be successful. Yes, we are winning, we came so far, and we will continue till the final victory. We will succeed.”

Yağız: Resistance will put an end to isolation!

After the message by Güven, a second video message by Nasır Yağız was screened.

Yağız said that the reason for this hunger strike is because isolation against Abdullah Öcalan has reached an unacceptable level.

He emphasized that the hunger strike resistance led by Leyla Güven will succeed in ending isolation.

Yağız said: “Success is in the Kurdish people hands. What is important is to spread the resistance to every area. Let our people in Europe stand up and increase the resistance in Strasbourg.”

Yağız added: “Our hope is to shake Europe with this resistance, to force them to go to the door of Imrali. What we need to know is that the Kurdish people will not give up the resistance.

We should continue fighting until isolation against Öcalan ends. There is no other way to reach peace. This is the time for resistance. This is the time for action.”