Abdullah Öcalan sent a message to the thousands marching in Cologne demanding freedom for the Kurdish people’s leader.
The message reads as follows:
“Dear friends, comrades, and all people who believe in peace and freedom,
This Great Cologne March that you have launched by gathering people from all corners of Europe is not only for my freedom but also a vital step for the Kurdish people’s struggle for a democratic solution and an honorable peace.
You are adding hope, courage, and determination to the revived Peace and Democratic Society Process.
My freedom cannot be separated from the democracy and shared freedom of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples. Freedom means freedom for peace, democracy, and equal citizenship.
Through this march, based on the will we seek to strengthen, you are making our demand for freedom, democracy, and a solution heard by the entire world.
Since 1993, despite interruptions, the peace and dialogue efforts we have tried to sustain have shown that brotherhood is possible on these lands.
Despite all our efforts, the hope that was always left unfinished is revived today with our step towards peace and a democratic society. It is gradually coming to life.
This process, in fact, marks a transition from a negative revolution to a positive revolution. The nature of this process must be understood as a historical and universal reality.
We base our struggle on moving from illegality, imposed on the Kurdish reality and its struggle, to a legal framework.
Thus, with your valuable march, the struggle for peace and a solution will further grow and flourish.
Dear comrades,
The constitutional recognition of the Kurdish people in the Republic and their continued existence as equal citizens on a democratic basis is directly linked to Turkey’s democratic future.
Likewise, in Syria and throughout the Middle East, Kurds must become pioneers of a life in equality, freedom, and peace with all peoples and faiths, without compromising their freedom and existence.
I hear this voice rising from Europe in Imrali, and I know it is reaching all those who need to hear it.
For you, who have had to live away from your homeland due to anti-democratic practices, represent the moral strength of peace and resolution.
Every effort you make is a step toward brotherhood and freedom.
I believe that through your will, the Kurdish people and all the oppressed will achieve a free and democratic future.
With endless love and respect, I greet you all.
Abdullah Öcalan
Imrali Prison, November 2025″