The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan Vigil was launched on 25 June 2012 in Strasbourg. The vigil’s main demands are freedom for Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and to break the isolation on him. This is week number 533 of the vigil which has been taken over by a group of activists from the Dutch Democratic Kurdish Society Center (DKTM) and the Dutch Kurdish Women's Movement.

The group includes Hüseyin Yıldız, Dayika Şükran and Şirin Farqîn.

Break the isolation

In his speech on behalf of the group, DKTM member Hüseyin Yıldız emphasized the aggravated isolation of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held in Imrali high security prison island since 15 February 1999.

Yıldız said: "Today, we took over the Freedom Vigil. Our leader has been under heavy pressure and isolation ever since he was arrested by an international conspiracy and handed over to the Turkish state. The world is silent about it."

Hüseyin Yıldız called for the fulfilment of responsibilities for the liberation of Abdullah Öcalan, Yıldız said: "As Kurdish people, and especially as a movement, we have not been able to liberate our leader. This means that we have not fulfilled our responsibilities conscientiously, morally and truly. From now on, we should double the efforts to secure the freedom of our leader."

Yıldız continued: "We are taking over the vigil this week because it is our duty to continue the struggle until we liberate our leader. We must resist in all areas of society, against the colonial fascist system and the special war of the world capitalist system."

Our freedom depends on the freedom of our leader

Dayika Şükran, a member of the Dutch Kurdish Women's Movement, said: "Our freedom depends on the freedom of our leader," and added: "I take over the Vigil on behalf of the Kurdish women in the Netherlands. We want our leader to be free. Our freedom depends on the freedom of our leader. We call on women to come and join this vigil to put an end to isolation."