During the sit-in action in Geneva, which has been going on for more than four years, activists called on the Turkish state to secure the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and a democratic solution to the Kurdish question.
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.
During this week’s demonstration, which is held at a tent set up in Nations Square where the UN Office is located, activists observed a moment of silence in memory of Ararat Bawer (Nehar Avcı), who was martyred in the Asos region of Eastern Kurdistan in 2024, and Baran Mawa (Ali Öncü), who was martyred in Hakkari on June 7, 2018.
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A press statement made by the activists on the 236th week of the action recalled that the Turkish state has not taken any concrete action in response to the step taken by the Group for Peace and Democratic Society which burned weapons on July 11 in response to Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’.
“The first step towards genuine peace is to secure the physical freedom of Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] as soon as possible,” the statement underlined.
Osman Tekin, co-chair of the Democratic Kurdish Community Center in Geneva, said that the Turkish state increased its military operations despite calls for peace and targeted Kurdish gains in northern and eastern Syria.
“The Rojava Revolution is the main target of these attacks. These attacks are not only directed at Kurds but also at other peoples in the region, such as Alawites and Druze. This is a concept of genocide. The democratic gains of all peoples in the region are under threat, just as much as the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom,” Tekin stated.
Osman Tekin also appealed to the international community, saying: “The Rojava Revolution must be protected, and the attacks carried out by the Turkish state must be stopped immediately. The international community must respond to the Kurdish people’s demand for peace and secure the physical freedom of Leader Öcalan. This step is necessary not only for the Kurdish people but also for a lasting peace throughout the Middle Eas
