The Great Freedom March, which started from two branches, Kars and Van, on 1 February to demand the physical freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, continues on its 8th day.

Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır, Emine Kaya, co-chair of the MED Federation of Legal and Solidarity Associations of Prisoners’ Families (MED TUHAD-FED) Van branch, Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) MPs and representatives of non-governmental organisations are taking part in the Van branch of the march. The group reached the Nusaybin district of Mardin this afternoon.

The people welcomed the marchers with flowers at the entrance of the district, from where they walked to the Barış (Peace) Park, greeting the people along the way.

After arriving at Barış Park, DEM Party Mardin MP Beritan Güneş addressed the people and said, "I bring you greetings from Van, Kars and Serhad. Nusaybin has always resisted and will continue to do so. We have been marching since 1 February. Every day our resistance is growing. This march did not start today, it has been going on for a hundred years. The Kurdish people have been resisting for 100 years. We send greetings from Nusaybin to the prisons and those who resist. Our march will continue until the physical freedom of Mr Abdullah Öcalan is ensured. Our march is a march for freedom. We are marching so that mothers do not cry. Mothers from Roboski called for peace. If Saturday Mothers, Peace Mothers and all resilient mothers want peace, no one has the right to prevent peace. The day is our day. For 25 years the conspiracy against Mr Öcalan has been going on. The Kurdish people have been fighting for Mr Öcalan's freedom for 25 years. The resistance of the Kurdish people has spread internationally. We will win.”

Ahmet Türk, DEM Party's Co-Mayoral Candidate for Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, said the following in his speech: "The state is pursuing policies of oppression and violence against the Kurdish people. Today we are in Nusaybin, which is a stronghold of resistance and has paid a high price for freedom. We thank you for your participation and welcome. For many years, the Kurdish people have been struggling for peace and freedom. Despite the heavy price they paid, the Kurdish people are standing firm. Today, they are in the streets again for justice, law and the solution of the Kurdish question. Today there is a system that targets not only Bakur (Northern Kurdistan) but also Rojava (Western Kurdistan). Everyone knows that Mr Öcalan is a mind for peace in the Middle East, a teacher and the address of the solution. Our struggle is for the liberation of Mr Öcalan.”

The Kurdish politician continued: “Today the prisoners in the dungeons put their bodies on the line for the freedom of Mr Öcalan. We stand with them, and we salute their resistance. We have always fought for the common values of the peoples. Our struggle is a struggle for equality. No one has ever achieved results through war. Wars have not produced any result other than pitting peoples against each other. Today our friends are taking a stance against injustice, lawlessness and the isolation of Mr Öcalan."

Journalist-writer Redur Dijle, speaking on behalf of the Voice for Peace Initiative, stated that they would continue to fight for the freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.