A vigil by the Democratic Kurdish Community in Switzerland has been taking place in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva since 25 January 2021. Every Wednesday, activists stage a protest in front of the United Nations building to demand the release of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. The action is carried out as part of the ‘Dem dema azadiye’ [Time for Freedom] campaign and directed against the isolation of the Kurdish leader on the Turkish prison island of Imrali, the Turkish occupation attacks on Kurdistan, the massacres committed in Kurdish territories and the silence of the UN.
This week’s demonstration, which is held at a tent set up in Nations Square where the UN Office is located, began with a moment of silence in memory of Bêrîtan Hêvî (Gülnaz Karataş), Stêrk Serdar (Zozan Dozdar Haran), Xebat Karaz (M. Yusuf Şık) and Rizgar Serhildan (Reşit Çetinkaya), who fell in the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle.
Speaking on behalf of the action committee, Ramazan Kızılkurt stated that Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 “Call for Peace and a Democratic Society” was a call for responsibility, adding, “We hereby reaffirm our commitment to fulfill this responsibility.”
CDK-GE (Geneva Democratic Kurdish Community Center) Co-Chair Osman Tekin drew attention to the isolation and torture system that has been ongoing for 27 years in Imrali and called on international institutions to “fulfill their responsibilities.” Tekin said, “Despite Leader Öcalan’s call for peace and a democratic solution, the attacks continue. These attacks are directed both at his manifesto and at the people’s hope for peace.”
Tekin stated that Kurds living in Geneva will ensure strong participation in the “Freedom for Leader Öcalan” march to be held in Cologne on November 8.