The Youth Assembly of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is staging a march from Amed (tr. Diyarbakır) to Amara, the birthplace of Abdullah Öcalan in the district of Halfeti, Urfa province. The action is part of the activities marking the 76th birthday of the Kurdish leader.

The march, organized under the slogan “We march to freedom with a democratic society”, kicked off in Amed on Tuesday and will end in Amara on 4 April, Öcalan’s birthday.

The activists arrived in the district of Siverek yesterday evening and spent the night there.

Participants of the march, including DEM Party MPs Zeki Irmez and Onur Düşünmez, visited the cemetery of the nameless in the morning, and the grave of Mahmut Zengin, who lost his life in Diyarbakır E Type Prison on May 18, 1982 as a result of an action he carried out with Ferhat Kurtay, Necmi Öner and Eşref Anyık.

Speaking on behalf of the DEM Party Youth Assembly at the commemoration, Muhsin Aydoğdu said, “Patriotic youth will follow his path and that of his comrades.”

After the commemoration, the activists marched to the exit of the district and moved on to the district of Hilvan (Curne Reş) in vehicles.

The activists were welcomed by the residents of Hilvan with great enthusiasm and slogans. The crowd greeting the young people included Co-Mayors of Hilvan Municipality and DEM Party Urfa MP Dilan Kunt Ayan.

During the march through the district center, a banner reading “The sun born in Amara is rising in İmralı” was unfurled.

Peace Mothers were at the forefront of the march in the district, while those in their homes supported the action with applause from their balconies and those in traffic honked the horns.

After the march, the activists visited the graves of Cuma Tak, Salih Kandal, Emin Yazar, Halil Çavgun, Sultan Yavuz, Hanım Kaya, Fidan Kaya, Berfin Yetkin, who were among the PKK's pioneering cadres and were martyred in 1979-80s, in Hilvan Asri Cemetery.

Salih Kandal's sister Aynur Yılmaz and DEM Party Mardin MP Beritan Güneş Altın also participated in the commemoration visit.

Speaking here, MP Beritan Güneş Altın stated that they will commemorate those that lost their lives in the struggle for freedom in every district they will visit during the march and added, “We will carry the flag they handed over to us until the end.” 

Aynur Yılmaz said, “You young people are carrying this flag. We are proud of you. We will defend their struggle until the end.”

The activists ended the commemoration by laying flowers on the graves and concluded their program for today. On April 3, they will move to Aligor village in Suruç district.