The mayor of Berceto (Parma), Luigi Lucchi, added his voice to those calling for the freedom of Kurdish people leader Abdullah Öcalan. The small Italian municipality has awarded the honorary citizen to Abdullah Öcalan last year. 

In July they named a bridge after Hevrîn Xelef (Hevrin Khalaf), the General Secretary of the Syrian Future Party, murdered by mercenaries linked to Turkey on 12 October 2019.

The mayor has added his voice to those calling for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan. He reminded that after the award of the honorary citizen to the Kurdish leader the Turkish embassy has rang the Italian municipality to protest.

"I think - said the mayor - that if dictators or heads of state who run over democracy protest, then it means we did the right thing."

Speaking about Öcalan, mayor Lucchi underlined that "the Kurdish leader has been calling and suggesting a way out and a solution to the Kurdish question for 21 years, from the prison of Imrali."

Lucchi underlined that the experience of democracy being practiced in Rojava should be learned and watched carefully by everyone around the world.