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 is 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. Demonstratos call on international institutions to fulfill their responsibilities to secure Öcalan’s physical freedom.
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 Berfin Nurhaq (Hanım Xanê Demir), Sema Roza (İnci Sümbül) Demhat Mamxurî (Ferman Turgut), and Hüseyin Azad (Elyasa Çiftçi) who fell in the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle.
A press statement on behalf of the activists partaking in the vigil noted that the developments in the Peace and Democratic Solution process, which began in October 2024, have paved the way for peace. It noted that the Kurdish Freedom Movement has taken all necessary steps to this end by declaring a ceasefire, announcing self-dissolution, and holding a weapon-burning ceremony. However, it said, the state and parliament have refrained from taking concrete and legal steps, and the proposed constitutional amendments do not reflect a fair and liberal approach.
The statement stressed that the aim of the struggle is not amnesty, but the restoration of rights that have been taken away and a dignified peace. It stated that the Kurdish people have not committed any crime, but are instead fighting to defend their rights.
The statement also denounced the attacks on North-East Syria, emphasizing that Rojava is a red line for the Kurdish people and their leader. It stated that the massacres committed by jihadist mercenaries such as HTS against the Alevi and Druze people cannot be forgotten, and that imposing surrender on these structures is unacceptable.
The activists called on the Kurdish people and Kurds living in the diaspora to intensify the struggle for peace in all areas and to increase democratic and bureaucratic pressure. They further urged international institutions and organizations to exert pressure on the Turkish state to immediately implement the “right to hope” for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.