The 'Great Freedom March', which will be organised by democratic mass organisations and several institutions between 1-15 February to demand the physical freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, will kick off from Kars and Van provinces. The march will be attended by 75 human rights activists and is expected to see mass participation, .

The march, one arm of which will start from Kars and one arm from Van, will end in the village of Amara in Urfa. After a statement to be made in Kars at 12.00 tomorrow, MPs and representatives of civil society organisations will visit shopkeepers and families during the day and give information about the isolation and the purpose of the march.

After the day-long visits, the delegation will set off for Digor and Iğdır on 2 February. While preparations for the march are being finalised, the delegation is expected to gather in the evening and evaluate the final stage of the preparations.

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, who will take part in the Kars branch, called on all people to support the 'Great Freedom March'.

Tülay Hatimoğulları, who arrived in Kars today, was welcomed by the party members. Addressing the people at the DEM Party's provincial building, Hatimoğulları reiterated that they will start a great march tomorrow to demand a democratic solution to the Kurdish question and an end to the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan.

Tülay Hatimoğulları said, "We are setting out for the resolution of the Kurdish question through democratic methods, for the freedom of Mr Öcalan and to break the isolation. We are starting this great march tomorrow from two points. The main purpose of our march is to support the hunger strike in prisons and the Justice Vigil started by our mothers outside. We have suffered a lot because the Kurdish question has not been solved. We will continue to do our best to ensure a peaceful democratic solution to the Kurdish question in parliament, in cities and on the streets. We call out here once again; we hope that a way will be opened before the hunger strikes turn into a bitter picture. This is why we are starting this freedom march. We call on all our people to show their support and solidarity."