Hundreds of thousands supported the #FreedomForOcalanNow campaign

In a written statement regarding the #FreedomForOcalanNow hashtag campaign, the Kurdistan Digital Media Assembly said, “This is just the beginning, continue the fight until the doors of Imrali open!”

The Kurdistan Digital Media Assembly released a statement regarding the #FreedomForOcalanNow hashtag campaign it carried out between October 8-10. On Twitter alone, the demand for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom was raised 507,300 times. Together with Instagram and Facebook, this demand was supported millions of times, according to the assembly.

The statement released by the Kurdistan Digital Media Assembly includes the following:

“By saying “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan Now”, the Kurdistan Digital Media Assembly initiated the #FreedomForOcalanNow hashtag. Within three days, the campaign was a deluge of people. Millions participated in our campaign, which started simultaneously from more than thirty countries on digital media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Academics, writers, politicians, trade unions, human rights defenders, parliamentarians, political parties and representatives from many social groups took action for the freedom of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Our action has gone down in history as an action where millions of people managed to act in an organised manner in digital media, breaking the information monopoly of the dominant powers. For the first time, people from so many parts of the world, from different peoples, different languages, different beliefs and social groups came together for a common purpose in digital media. It is clear that the architect of this success is Abdullah Öcalan. The universal democratic and libertarian values he represented became the creator of the flood of freedom that brought together millions.

Although the international powers, who were the architects of the plot against Mr. Öcalan, tried everything to prevent the peoples’ historical organisation and cry for #FreedomForOcalanNow, they could not succeed. The gathering of millions around the demand for Freedom for Mr. Öcalan and the result it created shattered all the censorships and bans. The demand for freedom for Öcalan has left its mark on the topics and reached tens of millions almost all over the world.

The demand for freedom for Abdullah Öcalan in many countries, especially in Turkey, was deliberately not listed on the digital media’s trending topics. Accounts with thousands of followers were suspended, many posts were removed and censorship practices that surpassed previous ones were prompted on digital media platforms. Despite this, 507,300 posts were shared only on Twitter, and with millions of people sharing the hashtag on Instagram and Facebook, the call for Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan. Turned into a global movement of conscience and democracy.

As the Kurdistan Digital Media Assembly, we salute all our activists and friends who sensitively supported the campaign and took action in digital media and on the streets for three days. This campaign for the freedom of Mr. Öcalan is only the beginning. We will continue our struggle until the doors of the Imrali dungeon are opened and Mr. Öcalan’s physical freedom is achieved. By expanding our assertion and determination, we will bring the millions of people who came together today with tens of millions tomorrow.

The demand for #FreedomForOcalan has become the flag of freedom and democracy approved by the will of millions. We reiterate our promise that we will always hold this flag high, and we invite everyone to the struggle to expand the truth under the roof of Kurdistan Digital Media Assembly. As we claimed throughout our campaign: Freedom Will Prevail!”