Demonstration in Strasbourg: "Öcalan’s freedom is our freedom"

Demonstrations to be held in front of the Council of Europe demanding Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom kicked off with a press statement.

The series of demonstrations to be held for Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France with the motto, “Öcalan’s freedom is our freedom”  kicked off with a press statement that European MPs attended.

The statement stressed that the isolation against Öcalan must end at once and a dialogue must be started with Öcalan in order to find a way out of the crisis.

Thousands have come to Strasbourg from all over Europe for the demonstration organized under the motto “Öcalan’s freedom is our freedom - We can’t imagine a life without our Leader”, and dozens of institutions will be attending as per the call issued by KCDK-E (European Democratic Kurdish Society Congress) and TJK-E (European Kurdish Women's Movement).

The crowd started to gather in the Avenue de la Robertsau in front of the CoE from the morning hours, and held a press statement at 12:30. The statement started with a minute’s silence for the martyrs of the revolution, after which KCDK-E Co-chair Yuksel Koc gave a speech.

Yuksel Koc saluted the institutions attending the demonstration, Kurdistan people and the European allies of Kurds. He stressed that Öcalan’s freedom can’t be thought of independently from the freedom of Kurds and other peoples. Koc pointed out Öcalan’s project of peace and freedom for the Middle East and stressed that the Turkish state has intensified the conspiracy and the isolation against Öcalan’s paradigm which has become a hope for the peoples.

KOC CALLS ON COE, ECHR AND THE CPT

Yuksel Koc said the war the Turkish state and conspiracist powers launched first started against Öcalan and stressed that the peoples of Mesopotamia and the Middle East have embraced Öcalan in response.

Koc said the demand for Öcalan’s freedom by the Kurds and other peoples finds its address in the Council of Europe and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, as well as European institutions and states, adding a call for responsibility. Koc stated that they will break the Turkish state’s invasion and intimidation attacks.

KCDK-E Co-chair Fatos Goksungur said the isolation has reached an unacceptable level.

Goksungur said they have decided to hold a series of demonstrations to break the isolation against Öcalan and called for participation by all peoples to the demonstrations in front of the CoE.

KARTAL: CPT IS DEAF, DUMB AND BLIND

KONGRA-GEL Co-chair Remzi Kartal said the CPT acts “deaf, dumb and blind” against the torture imposed upon Öcalan despite their job description.

Kartal stressed that isolation is a form of torture and that there is no information at all on whether the Kurdish People’s Leader is even alive.

He stressed that the CPT’s 2 year working plan doesn’t include a visit to Öcalan and criticized the institution for “not considering intense isolation as a problem”.

Kartal also criticized the verdict by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and pointed out the unjust approach.

KONGRA-GEL Co-chair also spoke against the silence in the face of attacks against Rojava and Kurdistan in general, and called on the CoE, the CPT, the ECHR and all institutions with authority to heed the Kurdish people’s calls.

Kartal pointed out that the Turkish state’s policies against the Kurdish people and the peoples of Turkey is driving the country to economic collapse, and stressed that the way out of the crisis is to end the isolation and start a dialogue with Öcalan.