The Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E) organised a march and rally in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg today to demand the freedom of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan and to end the isolation he has been subject to. Thousands of people gathered in the French city of Strasbourg for the massive rally in protest at the silence of international institutions on the aggravated isolation imposed on Öcalan.

The Kurdish leader has been jailed in the island prison of Imralı since his forced departure to Turkey as a result of an international plot in 1999. Since the last visit of the team of lawyers on August 7, 2019, the Turkish authorities have not responded to any of the continuous requests for a visit to him.

The demonstration was attended by Kurds and their friends from all around Europe, including Kongra Gel Co-Chair Remzi Kartal, Zozan Serhat representing the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe, Fatoş Göksungur in the name of the KCDK-E, and representatives of several international institutions.

KCDK-E Foreign Relations Official Berivan Fırat addressed the crowd after a minute’s silence and said, “On orders of the dictator Erdoğan, Turkey is committing war crimes and using chemical weapons in Kurdistan before the very eyes of the whole world. The isolation imposed on the Kurdish leader deepens the deadlock. We expose the silence of the international institutions here today. Despite the fact that CPT has already documented the torture on Imralı, the institutions that we stand before here today continue playing ostrich.”

Speaking after, Kongra Gel Co-Chair Remzi Kartal said the following, “Our people in Europe and in four parts of Kurdistan, and our friends, should mobilize for the freedom of Leader Öcalan and a resolution to the Kurdish question. We should enhance the struggle in all social spheres, including politics, diplomacy and communication. We have no information on the situation of the leader. Although the CPT has conducted on-site inspection and proved the torture executed on Imralı, the institutions here and member states maintain their silence. We must enhance the actions to claim Leader Apo and ensure his freedom. Our message to the world public opinion is this; the Gates of Imralı must be opened for the resolution of the Kurdish question and his physical captivity must be ended immediately.”

Zozan Serhat also highlighted Öcalan’s importance and stressed that, “A democratic solution to the Kurdish question passes through Imralı. We want all the European states that are partners in this crime to do their part.”