9 October marks the anniversary of the forced departure of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in 1998 and thus the beginning of the international conspiracy that led to the PKK leader's abduction to Turkey on 15 February 1999. Since then, Öcalan has been held as a political hostage on the prison island of Imrali, most of the time under conditions of total isolation.

As part of country-wide demonstrations organised under the motto "We march for freedom" to mark the 24th anniversary of the conspiracy, Kurdish parties and organisations staged a protest in Van province, which was besieged by the police deployed on all the streets.

Despite the massive police deployment, masses managed to march to the city center where they launched a sit-in action in the face of the arbitrary obstruction and the brutal detention of dozens of people.

Speaking here, HDP MP Tayyip Temel denounced the brutal action taken against those who took to the streets today to condemn the conspiracy against Öcalan.

HDP MP Sezai Temelli stated the crackdown they faced was a part of the conspiracy and isolation policy pursued against the Kurdish people.

Temelli denounced the “enmity and atrocity of the police, who he defined as the paramilitary forces of a party.

“Dozens of people have been taken into custody because they wanted to use their democratic right to assembly. The fascist mentality did not tolerate this and subjected us to violence,” he said.

Pointing to the isolation imposed on Öcalan, Temelli said, “We have been doomed to hell because of this conspiracy, the consequences of which are the persecution, violence and bloodshed that we have experienced during the past 24 hours. This is an order orchestrated by the tyrant state mindset. We must break the isolation to get rid of this persecution. The solution to this issue requires an immediate talk with its addressee. Öcalan is the interlocutor for a democratic resolution. The isolation executed on him did and will bring about nothing but poverty and violence. The fact that the Kurdish question remains unsolved lies at the heart of all the problems in this country. Unless the Kurdish question is resolved, neither peace nor democracy will come to this country.”

The HDP deputy continued, “We do not want to live within this order. We try to build a fair and lawful order and to live as equal citizens. We know that the path to this passes through Imrali. The Gemlik march we started on 12 June continues with resolve and commitment. You will not be able to stop or deter us. We will crush isolation and fascism.”