On the 25th anniversary of Abdullah Öcalan’s capture and imprisonment, a significant milestone for the Kurdish movement, which is seen by the Kurds as an international conspiracy, actions demanding his release are taking place in different parts of the world, reflecting his continuing importance for a possible political solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey.
As Öcalan’s imprisonment enters its 26th year, the Kurdish community has become more vocal and even more determined, as the statute of the International Criminal Court stipulates 30 years as the maximum sentence and life imprisonment only in exceptional cases, with a review of the sentence after 25 years.
From northeastern Syria to several European cities, the main goal of the massive global actions is the release of Öcalan, but the most urgent demand of the Kurdish community is an immediate end to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader’s almost three years of absolute isolation.