Kurdish youth movements launch campaign for political prisoners

The Kurdish youth movements in Europe, TCŞ and TekoJIN have launched a campaign for political prisoners in Europe. Under the slogan “The Kurdish people’s struggle is not a crime”, the Revolutionary Youth Movement and the Movement of Young Combative Women call for solidarity with Merdan K. and all other political prisoners.

In the announcement of the campaign, the youth organizations point out that parallel to the actions of the Turkish state in Kurdistan, which violate human rights, a policy of intimidation against Kurdish activists and people in solidarity is also being exercised in Europe. While the European states ignore the use of chemical weapons in Kurdistan and the increasingly cruel prison conditions of political prisoners, including the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, critical voices are wanted to be silenced here as well. Germany and France are leading the way in the detention of Kurdish activists.

The youth movements demand the release of the prisoners and an end to the criminalization of Kurdish organizations and institutions in Europe. The 22-year-old activist Merdan K. was arrested in September for alleged PKK membership and is in pre-trial detention in Stuttgart-Stammheim Prison. He and the other political prisoners must not be left alone, said the TCŞ and TekoJIN, adding, “Because we know that whoever is silent about oppression today will feel it themselves tomorrow.”