Sarıyıldız: Our march has a strategic message

HDP MP Sarıyıldız, who is on the “Freedom for Öcalan march” from Cizre to Amed, said that the aim of the march was to warn the AKP and the state that Öcalan, who had created important opportunities for peace, needed to be free.

HDP MP Sarıyıldız, who is on the “Freedom for Öcalan march” from Cizre to Amed, said that the aim of the march was to warn the AKP and the state that Öcalan, who had created important opportunities for peace, needed to be free.

March has been going for 6 days

The march organised by the people of Botan demanding the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan has now been continuing for 6 days. More people joined the march in Mardin, with the procession now a kilometre long.

HDP Şırnak MP Faysal Sarıyıldız and DBP Kızıltepe Co-mayor Leyla Salman explained the significance of the march.

'We are warning the state and the AKP Government'

Sarıyıldız said that the people were marching to Amed to demand freedom for Öcalan, adding: “Our march intends to warn the AKP government.”

HDP MP emphasised the current chaos in the Middle East, saying that Öcalan’s freedom would have a significant effect on ensuring peace in the entire Middle East. He said that the marchers had been welcomed by everyone, from small children to the elderly.

'International march'

Sarıyıldız said that the freedom of Mr Öcalan was important for all the peoples of the Middle East, not just the Kurds, adding: "There are also Syriacs, Azeris, Turks and Arabs on this march. The march therefore has an international character. Mr Öcalan has created the possibility for all of us to live a free life in conditions of equality with shared values.”

'We also want to demonstrate the importance of Mr Öcalan to Turkish society’

Sarıyıldız said Mr Öcalan's political philosophy and foresight offered an important opportunity for peace in the Middle East, adding that Mr Öcalan should be free at this time. “If he were out we could solve the regional problems more rapidly without thousands more people dying,” he said. Sarıyıldız said that they also wanted to emphasise the importance of Mr Öcalan to the democratic future of Turkey to society in Turkey.