In the 223rd week of the vigil in front of the UN, activists condemned the daily Turkish bombardments against guerrilla areas and called for action to ensure Öcalan’s freedom and urgent steps to advance the current process of talks.
A vigil by the Democratic Kurdish Community in Switzerland has been taking place in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva since 25 January 2021. Every Wednesday, activists stage a protest in front of the United Nations building to demand the release of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. The action is carried out as part of the 'Dem dema azadiye' [Time for Freedom] campaign and directed against the isolation of the Kurdish leader on the Turkish prison island of Imrali, the Turkish occupation attacks on Kurdistan, the massacres committed in Kurdish territories and the silence of the UN.
During this week's demonstration, which is held at a tent set up in Nations Square where the UN Office is located, activists paid tribute to Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a member of the DEM Party's İmralı Delegation who lost his life on May 3, and the martyrs who lost their lives in the month of May.
Naile Budak, Co-Chair of the Geneva Democratic Kurdish Community Center, expressed her deep sorrow at the loss of Önder, offered her condolences to his family, and said, “We are determined to fulfill his dream of peace.”
The press statement this week was read by Veli Eren, who emphasized the historical significance of May in terms of the Kurdish Freedom Struggle, saying, “Many revolutionaries and patriots lost their lives this month. For this reason, our movement has declared May as the Month of Martyrs'.”
Eren described the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan as “fascism itself” and continued: “The absolute isolation that has been imposed in İmralı for over 26 years is directed not only against Leader Öcalan, but also against the will and democratic future of the entire Kurdish people. The Kurdish people will not be free until this system comes to an end. The solution to the Kurdish issue and the establishment of peace in the Middle East are only possible through the opening of the gates of İmralı. Despite Leader Öcalan’s ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’, the Turkish state is pursuing policies that lack sincerity, with guerrilla areas being bombed every day and military operations carried out with air support. Urgent steps must be taken to advance this process, and Leader Öcalan’s physical freedom must be secured. At the same time, improving Leader Öcalan’s working conditions and lifting restrictions are of the utmost necessity.”
