The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil, which started on 25 June 2012 in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, continues with determination on week 420.

A group of four activists from Pforzheim and its surroundings have taken over the vigil this week from a a group from Duisburg. This week’s group is made up of Cafer Selçuk, Ali Gökçe, Abdullah Mutlu and Deniz Kurt.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Cafer Selçuk underlined that there has been no news about the Kurdish people's leader for a long time, not even during the coronavirus pandemic.

Selçuk added: “We have not heard from our Leader for a long time. This silence and attitude have no place in law and is a persecution of the Kurdish people. The Kurdish problem cannot be solved with the captivity of our leader.”

Underlining that Öcalan is the key to the solution of the Kurdish problem, the group spokesperson said that the Kurdish people should take a more determined stance in this process.

Selçuk ended his words with an appeal: “We have to walk more resolutely in this process. Let's reclaim and defend our Leader everywhere.”

The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil began on 25 June 2012. The action before the Council of Europe is carried out in an area that also includes the European Court of Human Rights, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the European Parliament.