Newroz, the annual March celebration symbolising Kurdish resistance, freedom and renewal, will centre on the political demand for the release of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and the implementation of his recent peace call, Berdan Öztürk, co-chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTC), announced at a press conference in Diyarbakır (Amed) on 11 March.
Under the slogan ‘A Free Leader and a Democratic Society’—a direct reference to Öcalan and his ‘Call for Peace and a Democratic Society’ of 27 February—Newroz events will take place in 89 cities across Turkey. Öztürk was joined by key political figures, including Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chairs Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and Keskin Bayındır, and Hülya Alökmen Uyanık of the Free Women’s Movement (TJA).
Öztürk noted that Newroz 2025 will take place at a time of intense political change in Turkey, stressing that all parts of society must take responsibility for enabling a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. He said that imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan must be guaranteed “release and free working conditions” immediately in order for him to fulfil the historical responsibility he assumed in his call.
Öztürk highlighted the leading role women will play in the forthcoming developments, saying, “The women’s struggle against the colonialist policy of special war will take the biggest responsibility in the struggle against male domination and the nation-state and in the construction of peace and democratic society.”
The Rojava Revolution in North and East Syria pioneered a women-led, free and inclusive society, which, Öztürk noted, aligns with the spirit of the March celebrations. “The democratic system created in Rojava, the freedom of women, and the democratic national society based on the free equality of peoples is a symbol of resistance and rebirth, just like Newroz.”
He further emphasised the significance of Newroz as a celebration of coexistence, describing it as “the expression of different languages, colours and beliefs coming together for a free and equal life” and a “historical reality where everyone can live together with their differences”.
After the declaration was read out, residents of the Kurdish-majority city lit the ceremonial Newroz fire and performed traditional Kurdish dances.
