The vigil to demand freedom for Abdullah Öcalan began on 20 July 2023, in the Martyr Rustem Cudi Refugee Camp in Maxmur. The action is now on its 820th day and being carried out by the 160th committee. The handover ceremony held at the Martyrs’ Families Association building saw a large public turnout.
Speaking on behalf of the 159th committee, Kajîn Guzereşî said that although Öcalan has been under severe isolation conditions for 27 years, he has continued his struggle and intellectual productivity without interruption. Kajîn Guzereşî said: “We will fulfill our duties in the struggle for peace and a democratic society led by Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalancalan]. Our fundamental responsibility is to expand the resistance along his path.”
Kajîn Guzereşî added: “As is known, on 9 October an international conspiracy was organized against the Kurds, Kurdistan, and all the peoples of the Middle East, targeting Öcalan, who viewed this conspiracy as the beginning of the Third World War. Today, the balance in the Middle East has changed, and many state systems have collapsed. The Turkish state and the conspiratorial forces have not been able to suppress the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom, even through betrayal. The 9 October conspiracy failed to achieve its goal; Öcalan thwarted it and continues his struggle for lasting global peace.”
Recalling Öcalan’s words, “If you fight for your freedom, then I am already free. I am here because you are not yet free,” Kajîn Guzereşî said: “As young women, following in the footsteps of Bêrîtan and Zîlan, we will continue to expand our struggle until Leader Apo achieves physical freedom. We will continue the fight for freedom and resistance without pause.”
The vigil handover ceremony ended with the slogans “Bijî Serok Apo, Bê Serok jiyan nabe, Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (“Long live Leader Apo, There is no life without the Leader, Woman, Life, Freedom”).