Hilala Zêrin Northern and Eastern Syria Women's Culture and Art Movement made a statement about the 2nd Martyr Berçem Culture, Art and Literature Festival to be held in Kobanê between 6 and 9 September.

The press statement saw the participation of dozens of women, and was held at the Free Women's Square in Kobanê. Hilala Zêrin Movement Spokesperson Necla Bozan read the statement, and said: "Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] has been physically held hostage as a result of an international conspiracy for 26 years. He has been living under difficult conditions for all these years. He has been waging an ideological struggle and a historical resistance against this at a high level. We, the people of all of Northern and Eastern Syria, will secure the free future of all peoples. AKP fascism was created in cooperation with NATO and international forces. This fascism is against all the Kurdish people."

The statement continued: "Leader Apo is waging an ideological and cultural struggle against the genocide and denial regime in Imrali. Therefore, we will carry out all of our artistic works in this context, insisting that we will assume the responsibility for Leader Apo's physical freedom."

Bozan added that "as part of the 'Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a political solution to the Kurdish question' initiative, we, as the Hilala Zêrin Movement, have promised to physically liberate Leader Apo with our culture and art and to draw attention to his situation."

Bozan said that "the 2nd Martyr Berçem Festival enriches women's art, and we will dedicate this edition to Leader Apo. 30 thousand brochures about the life, struggle and ideology of Leader Apo were distributed on Sunday, 1 September. 

With the spirit of revolutionary art, we call on the people of Kurdistan and all freedom-loving and patriotic people to protest these dirty actions carried out by the fascist Turkish state and its politics of destruction and genocide. Our main goal is to end the isolation system and ensure the physical freedom of Leader Apo."

Bozan called "on human rights and international organizations once again to fulfill their conscientious and ethical roles. We will struggle with a very strong will and insistence to break the isolation imposed on Leader Apo. Our goal is to introduce Leader Apo through culture and art, to carry his ideas to every home and to spread them to the world. The more we can develop our culture and art, the more possible Leader Apo's physical freedom will be."