The protest march organized by the Free Women’s Movement TJA (Tevgera Jinên Azad), which began six days ago in Amed (tr. Diyarbakır), arrived in the center of the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday. With the initiative under the motto “We walk to freedom with hope,” the participants are demanding an end to the solitary confinement of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and his involvement in a political solution to the Kurdish question.
The group stopped in several cities along the way, including Urfa, Antep, Adana, and Mersin, before arriving in Ankara on the seventh day. Their goal was to hold a demonstration in front of the Turkish parliament. However, the police prevented them from marching there and set up barriers at Güven Park in the city center. A planned rally then had to be held there spontaneously.
Öcalan’s role in the peace process at the center of demands
In a statement, the activists emphasized that Öcalan’s release was a key prerequisite for a credible and sustainable peace process. Former HDP MP Sebahat Tuncel said they would not stop fighting for this goal until Öcalan was free: “He has repeatedly emphasized that the freedom of the people is more important than his own. We understand that, and we say: His freedom is our freedom.”
Criticism of the state’s inaction
Tuncel accused the government of inaction on the Kurdish question. “A genuine peace process requires political and legal reforms, not just symbolic gestures. The state must take concrete steps to enable dialogue and reconciliation, in particular by releasing political prisoners and abolishing repressive laws,” she said.
Remarking that political parties also have a responsibility, Tuncel stated: “Peace is not only the responsibility of the government, but of all political forces. The women’s movement will therefore submit its demands in the form of an action paper to all parliamentary groups in parliament.”
Reference to current conflicts in Syria and Palestine
In her speech, Tuncel also referred to the current situation in the Middle East. She pointed to the attacks by the self-proclaimed Syrian transitional government on the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah in Aleppo. Turkey should no longer support policies that target the Kurdish population in Syria, she said, stressing that a solution to the Kurdish question must also take regional aspects into account.
Tuncel also called for Israel’s immediate withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories. The protest was also directed against oppression worldwide – “whether in Rojava or in Gaza,” she said.
Focus on “negotiating democracy”
During the rally, a written message of greeting from Abdullah Öcalan to the participants was read out and received with applause and chants from those present. At the heart of the message is Öcalan’s concept of a “negotiating democracy” that goes beyond majority decisions in terms of political participation. Tuncel emphasized that lasting peace is only possible if all groups—including the Kurdish population—are equally integrated into the political order.
TJA delegation in parliament
“We call on all social forces to join us on this path,” Tuncel said at the end of the action. The women announced that they would continue their mobilization—not only for Öcalan’s freedom, but also for a democratic, peaceful future. A larger group of TJA activists then marched into parliament with victory signs and chants of “Bijî Serok Apo” [Long Live Leader Öcalan] to participate in the DEM Party’s group meeting.
