Kurds on their way to the Amara (Ömerli) neighborhood in the Halfeti district of Urfa to mark the 73rd birthday of Öcalan, started the celebration enthusiastically near the toll booths at the Birecik-Halfeti highway exit. The people who managed to arrive in Amara celebrated the Kurdish leader’s birthday in the house where he was born. Amara was surrounded by hundreds of troops and armoured military vehicles.

Abdullah Öcalan's brother Mehmet Öcalan and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Urfa Deputy Ömer Öcalan accepted the birthday greetings. “We are in Amara under siege by Turkish soldiers and police. They did not allow our people to come to Amara. Masses wanted to come to Amara with us but were unlawfully blocked,” Ömer Öcalan said in a speech outside the house where Öcalan was born.

“Everyone can celebrate April 4th in their own home and city,” Ömer Öcalan said and continued, “The Kurdish question can only be resolved through Mr. Öcalan's mediation. The right thing is dialogue and negotiation. If dialogue is adopted, there will be an honourable peace in Turkey.”

Following the speeches, the artists sang the song "Ay dilbere" and celebrated Öcalan's birthday.