The Kurdish community in Finland started a campaign demanding freedom for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan as part of activities to mark World Human Rights Day. The campaign was conducted within two weeks’ time and it gained support from many friends of the Kurdish people.

For this purpose, Kurdish Democratic Society Center (NCDK) contacted many different people that have influence in the society, and sent them the appeal demanding Öcalan's freedom. The ones that have signed and given their names for the appeal, include members of parliament, journalists, authors, professors, activists and members of political parties. The appeal was addressed mainly for those influential people, that have been following and supporting the Kurdish struggle for many years.

“The purpose of the campaign is to demand freedom for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, and along with that, a peaceful and democratic solution for the Kurdish issue. The campaign also seeks to show the importance of the role of Öcalan in negotiating peace, in the same way as it was Nelson Mandela's mission to bring peace and freedom for South Africa. The time has come that Öcalan be freed, so that he can continue with the peace process to solve the Kurdish question,” the organizers said.

The organizers of the campaign are planning to continue their works and projects to bring up Öcalan's situation and to demand his freedom by giving seminars, panels and distributing information.

The list of people who signed the campaign:

Anna Kontula; Member of the Parliament of Finland representing the Left Alliance (Pirkanmaa)

Antti Rautiainen; Finnish activist and author

Emilia Kukkala; Journalist, author, blogger

Henrik Jaakkola; General Secretary of the Left Youth

Ilkka Aho; Artist, painter

Ilkka Jaakkola; Development manager, CoopNet Initiative

Jiri Mäntysalo; Chairperson of the Communist Youth

Johannes Yrttiaho; Member of the Parliament of Finland representing the Left Alliance (Varsinais-Suomi)

Juha Pekka Väisänen; Leader of Finnish Communist Party, SKP

Jukka Ahokas; Member of Finnish Communist Party, SKP

Jukka Peltokoski; Doctor of Political Science, non-fiction writer

Liban Sheikh; Chairperson of the Left Youth

Mai Kivelä; Member of the Parliament of Finland representing the Left Alliance (Helsinki)

Merja Kyllönen; Member of the Parliament of Finland representing the Left Alliance (Oulu)

Mervi Grönfors; Early childhood educator

Olli Tammilehto; Freelance writer and researcher

Paavo Arhinmäki; Member of the Parliament of Finland representing the Left Alliance (Helsinki)

Petra Packalén; Editor-in-Chief of Tiedonantaja

Pia Lohikoski; Member of the Parliament of Finland representing the Left Alliance (Uusimaa)

Pieta Hyvärinen; M.Soc.Sc, Doctoral researcher, Faculty of Social Sciences - University of Tampere

Sami Muttilainen; City Council of Helsinki, Province Council of Uusimaa

Syksy Räsänen: Cosmologist, activist and lecturer in theoretical physics at the University of Helsinki

Teemu Matinpuro; CEO, Finnish Peace Committee

Toni Kallioinen; Vice Chairperson of the Communist Youth

Yrjö Hakanen; former leader of Finnish Communist Party, SKP