The Freedom for Öcalan Vigil, launched by the Freedom for Öcalan Initiative in Strasbourg, on 25 June 2012, continues in its 472nd week.

Mesut Gündar, Gülten Polat and Idris Savcı from Hamburg have taken over the new week of action demanding freedom of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and to break the isolation imposed on him.

Mesut Gündar made a statement on behalf of the group and said: “When I was coming to the vigil, I had the same feeling I had when the Leader came to Italy. I came here feeling that I was going to see him here. But unfortunately, our Leader has been held a hostage in front of the world’s eyes for 22 years, victim of an international project.”

Adding that they are trying to introduce the ideas of Abdullah Öcalan to the world at the vigil, Mesut Gündar said that every Kurd should know the thought of Abdullah Öcalan.

Gündar said: "If we fight together against the occupation, isolation and massacre, of course, victory will come."

Pointing out that the Kurdish people have been trying to make their voices heard in front of the European institutions for 10 years, Gündar said: "With this action, where we expose the hypocrisy of Europe, we show that we are standing everywhere and every moment and that we will break this conspiracy."

The activist added: "We started young, we will finish young, will definitely achieve victory."

Calling on the Kurdish people to unite around the Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and the guerrilla struggle against the occupation, isolation and genocide, Gündar underlined that the only answer to the Turkish state's invasion attacks in South Kurdistan is national unity.

The "Freedom for Öcalan Vigil" last week was carried out by Kurdish institutions in Europe, representatives of religious institutions, and TJK-E activists.