Istanbul Peace Mothers Assembly has launched a vigil demonstration in Galatasaray Square for the lifting of the isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan and his return to freedom. Banners reading “I reclaim my Leader, my land, my freedom” and “Ez li Serok e xwe, axa xwe u azadiya xwe xwedi derdi kevim” in Kurdish were put up in the area of the demonstration which was attended by HDP Istanbul MP Pervin Buldan and Peace Mothers. The governorate banned the 24-hour long planned sit-in, at which point Pervin Buldan intervened and a 4 hour long demonstration was permitted. Tensions rose for a brief while between people gathering in the square and the police before the sit-in.

Peace Mothers held the sit-in and then read a press statement. Hatice Aydoğdu read the statement in the name of Peace Mothers and said Öcalan was an expression of freedom and a dignified life for the Kurdish people, and every threat against him signified doom for them as well.

Aydoğdu mentioned the concerns for Öcalan’s safety following the coup attempt and expressed that the government had taken no steps in addressing these concerns. Aydoğdu said, “This is because the AKP government aims to suffocate the Kurdish people’s demand for a dignified and free life and destroy this struggle of them. This is why they have handled the Kurdish people’s struggle with politics of elimination.”

Aydoğdu also stated that until the Kurdish issue reached a solution, politics in Turkey would have no other fate than coups, fascism and war.

Aydoğdu made the following points: “A democratic solution process handled on the basis of freedom for Abdullah Öcalan will become a symbol for peace, democracy and free life in Turkey. This is happiness, love, life and fraternity. Us mothers have taken the path of life and fraternity. On this basis, we have launched a vigil today. We invite all democratic groups and all women to democratic resistance against fascism.”

Peace Mothers continued the vigil following the press statement.