A vigil by the Democratic Kurdish Community in Switzerland has been taking place in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva since 25 January 2021. Every Wednesday, activists stage a protest in front of the United Nations building to demand the release of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. The action is carried out as part of the 'Dem dema azadiye' [Time for Freedom] campaign and directed against the isolation of the Kurdish leader on the Turkish prison island of Imrali, the Turkish occupation attacks on Kurdistan, the massacres committed in Kurdish territories and the silence of the UN.

Today’s vigil began with a minute of silence paying tribute to victims of the Yazidi genocide committed by ISIS in Shengal (Sinjar) on 3 August 2014.

Speaking here, Geneva Democratic Kurdish Community Center (CDK) co-chair Mehmet Latif Çelebi spoke about the massacres suffered by the Kurdish people throughout history and their resistance against massacres.

Çelebi pointed out that the AKP/MHP fascism in Turkey attacked the Kurdish people, their leader and their values today to complete the genocide committed by ISIS against the Yazidi people, which, he added, could be confronted and stopped by a ceaseless struggle.

Çelebi remarked that the UN, CPT, Council of Europe and all relevant institutions and organizations maintained their silence in the face of the genocidal attacks against the Kurdish people. “With their silence, these states and institutions, which played a role in the international conspiracy (against Abdullah Öcalan in 1999), approve a continuation of the conspiracy and keep denying the Kurds and their demands. As the Kurdish people, we will make no compromise on our demand for a “Free Leader, Free Kurdistan” and keep our struggle going,” he stated.

Pablo Guscetti, spokesperson of the Swiss trade union UNIA, also attended this week’s vigil and delivered a speech highlighting the fact that the Kurdish people are fighting a struggle for gender equality, democracy and equality in spite of all the challenges they have been facing. He expressed their solidarity with the Kurdish people and said they considered the Kurdish people’s struggle very important and valuable.

“Subjected to inhumane practices in violation of human rights, the Kurdish people are waging a great struggle, which is on the agenda of world public opinion today. Similarly, the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan is facing great repression, the purpose of which is to imprison his ideas. However, this repression has not achieved its goal. On the contrary, Öcalan’s ideas have reached up to us. I thank you for your resistance and struggle for these ideas which present a new model of living to the entire world,” said Guscetti, concluding his speech with the slogan "Biji Serok Apo" (Long Live Leader Öcalan).”

After the speeches, activists called for participation in the demonstrations to be staged on 3 August under the leadership of YJK-S (Kurdish Women’s Union in Switzerland).

The demonstrations organized in Switzerland to mark the anniversary of the Shengal genocide are as follows:

Aarau: Bahnhofplatz, 18.00

Basel: Dreirosen Park, 18.00

Luzern: Vögeligårtli, 19.00

Zurich: Helvetiaplatz, 18.00

Bern: Bundeshausplatz, 18.00

Geneva: Democratic Kurdish Community Center, 18:00