A letter has been published by the campaign ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’, announcing the results of their recent ‘Free Öcalan: Global Days‘ initiative. The campaign reported that over 250 events had taken place across 50 countries between 1 and 10 October. Tens of thousands participated spanning continents, including Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Key activities during the Global Days included seminars, protests and cultural gatherings. In Europe, events took place in cities such as London, Berlin and Brussels, where public discussions were held on democratic confederalism and Öcalan’s philosophy. Women’s marches were held in over 20 countries, and there were numerous demonstrations in front of the EU Parliament and other national institutions.
Several artistic and educational events also took place. In the UK, the graphic novel Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People was launched, and in Switzerland, the Arin Mirkan Women’s Council screened the film History of Fire. Other cultural highlights included Kurdish Revolutionary Youth organising marches in the UK and Catalonia and Kurdish cultural groups holding processions in Amsterdam.
The campaign also extended to the digital sphere, with the hashtag #FreeAbdullahÖcalan generating over 25,000 posts in multiple languages. A documentary, Abdullah Öcalan: Life & Legacy, was released and widely viewed on social media platforms.
In addition, a legal push for Öcalan’s freedom saw 1,524 lawyers from 35 countries signing a petition urging Turkey to comply with European Court of Human Rights rulings. This culminated in a press conference in Brussels organised by several legal associations, coinciding with a meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, which reviewed Turkey’s non-compliance with human rights principles related to Öcalan’s imprisonment.
The campaign emphasised that they would continue their efforts to secure Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom and seek a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.
