A vigil by the Democratic Kurdish Community in Switzerland has been taking place in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva since 25 January 2021. Every Wednesday, activists stage a protest in front of the United Nations building to demand the release of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. The action is carried out as part of the 'Dem dema azadiye' [Time for Freedom] campaign and directed against the isolation of the Kurdish leader on the Turkish prison island of Imrali, the Turkish occupation attacks on Kurdistan, the massacres committed in Kurdish territories and the silence of the UN.

During the sit-in, which is taking place in front of a tent set up in the square, information was given about the extent of the absolute isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and the Turkish state's occupation and genocide attacks against the Kurdish people.

In this week's action, speeches were made after a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs of the Kurdistan freedom struggle.

Mustafa Altunbaş, on behalf of the action committee, noted that they have been demanding the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan for three years.

Altunbaş saluted the continuous struggle in Kurdistan, in prisons, in the Medya Defence Zones and in Europe within the scope of the "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a political solution to the Kurdish question" campaign launched by the friends of the Kurdish people worldwide on 10 October 2023. He called on everyone to join the resistance.

Tuba Yılmaz, Co-Chair of the Geneva Democratic Kurdish Community Centre (CDK-Ge), spoke about the actions to mark the anniversary of the 15 February 1999 conspiracy, which led to the capture of Abdullah Öcalan in Kenya and his handover to Turkey, where he has been held under an aggravated isolation system since.

"Under the leadership of our internationalist comrades, a long march will be staged from Basel to Strasbourg on 10-15 February. As activists of the Geneva vigil, we will take our place in this march, and we will base our actions on making the campaign a success. On this basis, we call on our people living in Geneva to join the demonstration in Cologne on 17 February."

After the speeches, activists led by the Kurdish Revolutionary Youth Movement (Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger-TCŞ) and the Movement of Young Women Militants (TekoJIN) went to the post office and sent dozens of signed postcards to be sent to Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı Prison. Ramazan Amed, a member of TCŞ, emphasised that Kurdish youth will continue to be in action until the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan is ensured.

Afterwards, the protesters went back to Nations Square and continued their sit-in.