Strasbourg Vigil: “Our action is an expression of the struggle for freedom”

Since 25 June 2012, a permanent vigil for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan has been taking place in Strasbourg in front of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Week after week, delegations of activists take turns. Every day, passers-by are informed about the situation of the Kurdish leader, his radical democratic alternative and his importance for peace in the Middle East through leaflets, brochures, discussions and contributions.

The choice of location is no coincidence. For it is precisely the European institutions that are characterised by their silence or inconsistent action with regard to the Kurdish leader, who has been totally isolated on the prison island of Imrali for 23 years.

This week, a group from Ulm and the Bodensee is taking over the protest. Part of the delegation are Ahmet Baytar, Mustafa Polat and Ali Dönmez. Ahmet Baytar accused the EU states of “complicity in the crime against the Kurdish people”. He said the vigil was an expression of the Kurdish struggle for freedom and would continue with all determination.