Kurdistanis have been holding a constant demonstration in Strasbourg since Monday with the demand that the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) visit Imrali. Kurds hold demonstrations by the Council of Europe (CoE) throughout the day with Öcalan posters and flags and chant “Freedom for Öcalan” and “CPT to Imrali” in French.

The sit-in has left six days behind, and women stand out as most of the participants. The women say they are concerned for Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s health and safety and that they will “continue with this struggle until his freedom is achieved”. Women from Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium and other European countries wear t-shirts with Öcalan’s photographs and Kurdish traditional motifs while they hold the sit-in in Strasbourg, and say they won’t leave the squares until European institutions like the CPT, PACE, EP that all have headquarters in Strasbourg hear their voice.

Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan hasn’t been allowed to meet with his lawyers since July 27, 2011 and with the Imrali Delegation since April 5, 2015. When Kurdish politicians launched an non-alternate indefinite hunger strike, he was allowed to meet with his brother Mehmet Öcalan on September 11, 2016, and hasn’t been heard from since then. The latest news have increased concerns for his health and safety.

Sacide Acar from Stuttgart, Germany spoke about the allegations on social media about Öcalan and said: “My heart sank when that wicked article was published. We want to hear from our Leader at once. We will not leave until we do. Anybody with an ounce of dignity should support this protest. Women in particular, because Öcalan is the leader for women and the oppressed first.”

Rojin Almas from Kehl, Germany has been living in Germany for 33 years. She has been a regular at many demonstrations in Strasbourg to date, and said, “I am with President Apo with all I have.” She expressed her concerns by saying, “The enemy wants to test us. They are trying to gauge our loyalty and love for him. That is why we are on the streets constantly, and we will continue until we achieve results. We are with our President until the last drop of blood we have. Our people should stand strong. We will prevail.”

Qedirya Cizîrî, from Halle an der Saale, is in Strasbourg since the first day of the demonstration. She is in exile for 12 years. From her family, 13 people fell as martyrs, including her mother and elder sister. Calling Öcalan “the leader of not only Kurds but all those oppressed”, Cizîrî urged European institutions just to do their job, remarking that their demand for Öcalan is not a request but a duty of the related organizations. “Women, youth and everyone else should mobilize everywhere for our Leader. I invite the Turkish state to act humanly. Our Leader can be freed if Europe gives up their hypocrite policies”, she said.

Êzîdî Kurd Nefiya Gökçe, from the Commission of Martyrs’ Families in Duisburg, is the elder sister of Martyr Evdo Sevgat. She told that; “When the Leader came to Rome, I was there, too. I went on a hunger strike for seven days. Everyone, whether an Êzîdî, Muslim, Alevi or Zarathustra, should listen to their conscience and act for Öcalan who is our leader and who we cannot just leave in the hand of the enemy. We are with him, with all of our being, souls and everything we have.”

Arife Soysüren, who is joining the demonstration in Strasbourg with an 8-person group from Brussels, said they immediately took to the streets and went into action after hearing the news about Öcalan’s health situation. Participating in the demonstration since the first day, Soysüren said; “We want the CPT to go to İmralı for a meeting that will relieve the concerns of millions of Kurds. If they can’t do this, then they shouldn’t call themselves independent. We have been patient enough. We are out of patience now and we will not leave streets until we obtain a result.”

Artists are also taking part in the sit-in in Strasbourg. One of them is Sosin, who told the following; “The captivity and isolation of the Leader is political. We are here to make our voice heard, and to have the institutions in charge go into action. I believe that we will physically free our Leader through our struggle.”