Democratic Society Centre of Kurdish People in Germany (NAV-DEM) holds its 2nd congress today in Dortmund with the participation of over 500 delegates from all over Germany. 

The congress is attended by the representatives of local democratic society centres, Civaka İslami a Kurdistan (CİK), Federation of Yazidi Associations (FEK), European Kurdish Women’s Movement (TJKE), youth organisation Ciwanên Azad, Democratic Power Unity as well as European Peace and Democracy Assembly (ABDEM), and the co-chairs of KCD-E Dilşa Osman and Murat Ceylan.

The congress hall is decorated by the posters of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the YPJ fighter Ivana Hoffman who lost her life in Rojava, as well as banners which read “Freedom to Öcalan, status to Kurdistan”, “We salute liberation of Girê Spî and the success of the HDP”. 

NAV-DEM co-chairs Yüksel Koç and Dilek Satılmış made the opening speech of the congress, stressing the importance of the victorious gains in Rojava and the implementation of a democratic model based on the Democratic Nation paradigm of Öcalan. The co-chairs also said that the isolation of Mr. Öcalan must be ended as the freedom of Öcalan amounts to freedom of the Kurdish people. The co-chairs further criticised the AKP government for its attitude towards the peace process in Turkey. 

KCD-E co-chair Dilşa Osman spoke next and drew attention to the important developments taking place not only in one but in all four parts of Kurdistan, and added that the congress gains more significance in the face of these developments. Osman emphasized the importance of the electoral victory of HDP and the growin debates around the establishment of a democratic and free life in the Middle East. Osman said that more work is needed in order to build a democratic life, and that she hopes the congress will contribute to this process. 

The NAV-DEM congress continues with the delegates' assessments on the developments in Kurdistan and the world. Member of Die Linke and European Parliament MEP Andrej Hunko is expected to make a speech in the coming hours at the congress.