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 Ali Haydar Kaytan and Rıza Altun, two founding leaders of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), whose death was announced by the PKK on May 12.

Speaking after a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs, Veysel Kuşkanadı on behalf of the Geneva Action Committee saluted Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’, for offering peaceful and democratic solutions to the fundamental problems in Turkey.

Kuşkanadı listed the main demands highlighted in Öcalan’s declaration as follows:

* Re-establishment of the dialogue mechanism

* Institutionalization of the negotiation process

* Strengthening of democratic foundations

* Ensuring an environment of non-conflict and trust

* Initiation of social reconciliation and restorative justice processes

The Action Committee invited the addressees of this call to shape Turkey's future through democratic means, emphasizing that lasting peace can only be achieved through social responsibility.

The statement also criticized the Iraqi government's actions against the Maxmur Refugee Camp. It emphasized that the siege and isolation policies that have been in place for over six years are contrary to human rights and called on the United Nations to break its silence.