On October 9, 1998, Abdullah Öcalan, founder and leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), was forced to leave Syria under military and political pressure from Turkey and NATO. He had two options: either to go to the mountains of Kurdistan, where armed conflict between the PKK and the Turkish army was raging, or to seek a political solution to the conflict in Europe. He chose the second path, ending with European countries declaring him persona non grata and closing all doors to him. His odyssey across three continents ended on February 15, 1999, when he was abducted from the Greek embassy in Kenya by NATO secret services and taken to Turkey, where he has been held in solitary confinement ever since. For Kurds, October 9 therefore marks the beginning of the international conspiracy against Abdullah Öcalan.
Abdullah Öcalan has continued his efforts to end the armed conflict and find a political solution to the Kurdish question without interruption for the past 27 years, despite being held in severe isolation on the prison island of Imrali. He has seized every opportunity, no matter how small, and has advocated for negotiations with the Turkish state. In this context, a new political process began in October last year with talks between Öcalan and Ankara. Milestones in this process were Öcalan’s Call for Peace and Democratic Society, the self-dissolution of the PKK, and the declared willingness to end the strategy of armed resistance. In a symbolic act, 30 guerrilla fighters burned their weapons in July. Subsequently, a parliamentary commission on the dialogue process began its work in August.
On the anniversary of the start of the international conspiracy against PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan on October 9, the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe (TJK-E) called for protests in numerous cities.
The TJK-E statement on Wednesday includes the following:
“27 years ago, Leader Öcalan was forced to leave Syria in an operation that lasted 130 days. From the day he left Syria, October 9, 1998, Leader Öcalan, who had turned to Europe to resolve the Kurdish issue through peaceful means, was declared persona non grata. Those who champion democracy and human rights, the rule of law and justice, did not compromise on their policies of leaving the Kurdish issue unsolved, resorting to the greatest injustices. They trampled on their own laws and responded to efforts for a solution by imposing a deadlock. As Kurdish women living in Europe, we remind European states once again of these realities and their responsibilities.
The October 9 Conspiracy resulted in Leader Öcalan being abducted from the Greek Embassy in Kenya on February 15, 1999, in a Gladio-style operation and handed over to the Turkish State. Since that day, Leader Öcalan has been held under the Imralı torture and isolation system. Although the European Convention on Human Rights, to which the Republic of Turkey is a party, requires that the “Right to Hope” be implemented at the 25th year of imprisonment, the Turkish state insists on not taking any action. The fact that the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, which convened last month and discussed this issue, has again granted the Turkish government more time means that the CoE is not upholding its own law. As TJK-E, we reject and condemn the CoE’s stance on this matter.
About a year ago, a new process began. Leader Öcalan took the initiative to resolve the Kurdish issue through political and peaceful means, just as he did in 1998. With the Call for Peace and a Democratic Society, he called on our entire society, especially women, to actively participate in this process. This is because the social dimension plays a decisive role in the success of this process and its evolution into official negotiations between Leader Öcalan and the Turkish state. As a society, it is essential to organize for peace and democratic solution, to intensify the struggle, to unite, and to exert pressure on the state during this process. It is particularly significant and important for us women to take strong leadership in revealing the will for peace among the peoples of Turkey, to stand against violence and deadlock, and in this way to strengthen the hand of Leader Öcalan.
For the process that has now completed its first year to truly become a genuine negotiation and pave the way for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue, Leader Öcalan must be physically free. Peace cannot be achieved under the conditions of isolation and torture at Imrali. This is very clear and straightforward. That is why we say: “Freedom for Leader Öcalan for Peace and a Democratic Solution!” As TJK-E, we are marking the 27th anniversary of the October 9 conspiracy with this slogan, and we are carrying out actions under this slogan in many centers across Europe. We call on our people and friends living in Europe, especially Kurdish women, to participate strongly in these actions.
Leader Öcalan has revisited the reality of women who have been oppressed, exploited, and massacred for thousands of years. Based on the truth that “the freedom of society depends on the freedom of women,” he has drawn attention to the importance of the women’s freedom struggle. The Rojava Revolution is the best example of this. The Rojava Revolution has been written into the pages of history as a women’s revolution and has also been a great source of inspiration and hope for the global women’s struggle. At the anniversary of the conspiracy, the attacks directed against the Rojava Revolution demonstrate the persistence of the policy of denial and annihilation against the Kurdish people. However, the Kurdish people and their friends are aware of all these dirty politics. For this reason, it is essential for us to stand up everywhere against these attacks today, as we did in the past, and to embrace the Rojava Revolution.
‘As women, we are the leading force in this process’
It should not be forgotten that the ultimate defeat of the conspiracy will only be possible through the physical freedom of Leader Öcalan and the democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue. Therefore, on this 27th anniversary, we declare that we will carry out the struggle against the international conspiracy by fulfilling the requirements of Leader Öcalan’s Call for Peace and a Democratic Society. We must organize more, become more communal, and build our democratic social system strongly wherever we are. As women, we are the leading force in this process.
On this basis, we once again condemn the October 9 conspiracy and call on our people to join the actions to be held across Europe under the leadership of TJK-E with the slogan “Freedom for Leader Öcalan for Peace and a Democratic Solution!” and to take to the streets to give an effective response to the conspiratorial forces.
Details of the actions and events to be held from October 8 to 11 against the October 9 international conspiracy are as follows:
October 8, 2025
SWITZERLAND
Geneva
Time: 12:00
Location: In front of the UN
GERMANY
Aurich
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Marktplatz
***
October 9, 2025
GERMANY
Hannover
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: HBF Hannover
October 10, 2025
GERMANY
Berlin
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Alexanderplatz
***
Hamburg
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Schulterblatt 71/Rote Flora
SWEDEN
Stockholm
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mynttorget /Stockholm
October 11, 2025
NETHERLANDS
The Hague
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Carnegieplein 1
GERMANY
Frankfurt
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Frankfurt HBF
***
Düsseldorf
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: DGB Haus
FRANCE
Paris
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: République Square
***
Marseille
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Canabiere
***
Bordeaux
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Stalingrad
***
Strasbourg
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Place Dauphine
AUSTRIA
Vienna
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Westbahnhof 1060 Vienna
***
DENMARK
Copenhagen
Time: 12:00
Location: Nytorv – Copenhagen