The long march to Strasbourg, which started in Geneva on Monday, passes through Bern today. The demonstration, which will last several days, calls for freedom for Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan and political status for Kurdistan. The march is attended by Kurdish politicians in exile, artists, intellectuals and representatives of various institutions. A delegation of activists held talks with political parties and civil society organizations in Geneva and Lausanne about the situation in Kurdistan.

Today's stage began with a minute's silence at Zollikofen railway station and ended with a rally at Waisenhaus Square. In the evening, a seminar on Jineoloji (Science of Women) will be held at the Kurdish Community Centre in Bern.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the abduction of Abdullah Öcalan from Kenya to Turkey on 15 February 1999, which was in violation of international law, several long marches have been held in Europe in the run-up to an annual Europe-wide demonstration in Strasbourg in order to raise European public awareness of the Kurdish question and to draw attention to the demand for freedom for Abdullah Öcalan.

This year, in addition to Switzerland, two more marches take place to Strasbourg. In Luxembourg, an internationalist march started on Monday under the motto "Freedom for Öcalan, political status for Kurdistan, shoulder to shoulder against fascism". 120 activists from Europe, Latin America, Canada, South Africa, Iran and Australia are taking part. On Saturday, a march of the Kurdish youth movement has started in Frankfurt.