Thousands of women from various cities of Turkey and North Kurdistan gathered in the Gemlik district of Bursa on Sunday to demand freedom for Abdullah Öcalan.
The demonstration was organized by the Free Women’s Movement in the port district, which has connections to the prison island of Imrali, where the Kurdish leader has been imprisoned since 1999.
Following the arrival of all groups in the district, the planned march began under the motto “time for women, time for freedom, time for meeting with a free leader.”
The press statement made after the march emphasized that the requirements of the second phase of the process must be fulfilled and demanded that “the political status of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan must be recognized, his physical freedom must be ensured, negotiation conditions must be established immediately, and the legal guarantee of peace must be built.”
The joint press statement, read by Ayla Akat Ata on behalf of TJA, reads as follows:
“The will for a ‘democratic solution and ultimately peace’, which we as the TJA manifested at our march from Diyarbakır to Ankara in October 2025 – staged under the slogan ‘We Walk to Freedom with Hope’ and with the perspective that the legal framework of the process will be created and made viable- continues today with this gathering in Gemlik, growing by gaining and giving strength.
Today, we come together in this march as women who have arrived at the shores of peace from Amed’s resistance and search for truth, Botan’s stand of rebellion and freedom, Serhad’s boundless spirit of struggle, the Aegean’s culture of coexistence, Marmara’s multi-identity and multilingual social fabric, Central Anatolia’s resilient labor, Çukurova’s memory of solidarity and production, and the Black Sea’s fierce waters.
With this diversity and accumulation, as the TJA, we once again voice our words in Gemlik in this historic process, present our will for a democratic solution, and grow the hope for peace. This line of struggle shows the path of solution that converges on the goal of ensuring the physical freedom of Peoples’ Leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan with the claim of Peace and Democratic Society; concretely revealing the will for a solution of us women, who are the pioneers and defenders of the process. Today, a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey is an inevitable, urgent, and non-deferrable necessity. In this sense, the ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ made on February 27, 2025, on Imrali Island and the steps taken thereafter present a tremendous opportunity. Aware of the fact that the struggle for peace requires courage and determination, our determination as the TJA to expand our claim and struggle and to build a free and equal life is stronger than ever.
With the claim that the final phase of the Call for Peace and Democratic Society will be the renaissance of women, we will crown the women’s freedom struggle with social peace. Today, all women—especially Kurdish women who experience the consequences of war policies most deeply—regard the freedom of Peoples’ Leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, who has put forward the will for peace, as their own freedom.
It must be known that we are the leading force of the will that will put an end to the system fed by war, profiteering, and plunder. Against all forces that seek to create obstacles on the path to peace, justice, and freedom, we once again state our position here and remind: It has been 1 year, 1 month, and 23 days since the Call for Peace and Democratic Society by People’s Leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. During this period, the peoples of Kurdistan, as well as the peoples of Turkey and the world, have given strong support to this call. Although the parliament has not been made functional in creating and guaranteeing the ‘Law of Peace,’ and although the necessary democratization steps have been delayed and spread over time, creating distrust in society, the will and hope for peace have always been kept alive. Indeed, on March 8, Newroz, and April 4 (Öcalan’s birthday), millions filled the celebration areas and clearly conveyed the message of democratic solution and peace in a way that all responsible and decision-making authorities could understand and interpret.
Now it is necessary to move urgently to the second phase. However, for the process to proceed in a healthy manner and to move to the second phase, it is possible only if the necessary negotiation conditions are fully ensured, as seen in global examples. The path for negotiations to yield results will be opened by including the parties in the process in an equal, free, and secure environment. However, to date, this fundamental principle has not been implemented. The chief negotiator, Peoples’ Leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, continues his work for a democratic, egalitarian, and libertarian solution to the Kurdish question and for the construction of lasting peace without being provided with conditions for free life and communication. It is not possible for a process carried out under such conditions to progress and thus succeed. On the basis of representation shaped by the will and historical struggle of the Kurdish people, it is indisputable that Mr. Öcalan is the primary interlocutor and chief negotiator of the process. This reality must be secured on the basis of legal regulations; Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s political status must be defined as soon as possible, and conditions must be created for him to live and work freely.
As required by the importance and sensitivities of the process, both the uninterrupted struggle carried out by TJA and the will it has demonstrated converge on this fundamental demand. The recognition of the political status of Peoples’ Leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and the ensuring of his physical freedom are indispensable conditions for the peace and democratic society process to advance on a result-oriented basis and to succeed.
Within this framework, it is a historical necessity that must be addressed responsibly to implement without delay the legal regulations and democratization steps included particularly in the 6th and 7th sections of the report prepared by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey’s ‘National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission.’ Ensuring democratic integration, enacting a peace law on the basis of equal citizenship, and establishing strong legal guarantees for all segments—especially women—participating in the process are fundamental requirements of this process. Without these steps, a negotiation ground cannot be established, and a lasting and honorable peace cannot be built, as evidenced by the failure to utilize peace opportunities since 1993 and the painful experiences that followed.
Today, our demand is clear and non-deferrable. The political status of Peoples’ Leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan must be recognized, his physical freedom must be ensured, negotiation conditions must be established immediately, and the legal guarantee of peace must be built. What is put forward through this struggle rising under the leadership of women is also the will to build a free and equal life. We will not step back from this will. Until freedom is ensured and an equal and democratic life is established, we will continue to expand our struggle in every field. On this basis, with the excitement of our gathering—accompanied by the footsteps of our freedom march heard all around the world around the philosophy of ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’—we say ‘Now is women’s time!’ and ‘Now is the time to meet free leader,’ and respectfully convey our greetings to the Imrali Peace Island and to Peoples’ Leader Mr. Abdullah Öcalan.”
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