The Long March from Lausanne to Geneva in Switzerland started on Saturday. The demonstration is promoted by the Revolutionary Youth Movement (Tevgera Ciwan ên Şoreşger-TCŞ) and the Movement of Young Fighting Women (Jinên Ciwan ên Têkoşer, TekoJIN) Switzerland Coordination.

The march aims to draw attention to the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan as part of the global campaign ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question’ that was launched in October 2023.

A press statement was read in French on behalf of TCŞ. Drawing attention to the heavy isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, the statement called for enhanced struggle.

Speaking on behalf of the YJK-S, Selma Sürer saluted the action and said: “We have gathered today as Kurdish youth and Kurdish women. The second leg of the campaign has begun. As of 1 September, both youth and women’s organisations and other organisations in general will start the process of action. The aim of this mobilisation is ‘a free leader and a free Kurdistan’. Today we will march from here to the United Nations building and ask; why can't we get any news from our leader? It is actually a question, the reason for which we know; the philosophy and resistance of Leader Öcalan. Leader Öcalan’s struggle is for free humanity. The world knows that there is only one reason for this isolation, and that is the paradigm of the Leader. At this point, no matter what, we will fight this struggle, and we will definitely be victorious in this war of existence and non-existence. All responsible institutions and states should know very well that our leader is free and we will ensure his physical freedom through our resistance!”

The march will continue for about 8 kilometres and end with a rally in front of the United Nations (UN) building in the centre of Geneva.