Kurds took to the streets in Marseille, France on Saturday in protest at the isolation regime imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan by the Turkish state.

The protest march promoted by the Democratic Kurdish Community Center (DTKM), Arin Mirkan Assembly and Revolutionary Youth Movement (TCŞ) kicked off from the Canabiere Square, where thousands vowed to continue their struggle for Öcalan’s freedom and warned that the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the United Nations would be responsible for any unfavorable development arising from the total isolation of the Kurdish leader.

The march from Canabiere Square to the European Parliament Representative in Marseille was followed by a rally where a speaker representing the Revolutionary Youth Movement called on the CPT and other European institutions to stop misinforming and putting off the Kurdish people.

“If the CPT does not make the truth public, we will carry our actions to another level,” said the statement by the TCŞ.

The following statement by the Democratic Kurdish Community Center noted that no news has been received for 23 months from Öcalan, who is constantly denied the right to meet with his family members and lawyers, as well as any form of communication with the outside world through arbitrary measures.

“We are concerned for the life of our leader and we call on the CPT and the UN to uphold their responsibilities. Our leader is not our red line. He is our life and we will never hesitate to do whatever is needed to protect our life,” said the statement by DTKM.