Hundreds of Kurdish youth set off on a march from Diyarbakır (Amed) to the Halfeti (Xalfetî) district of Şanlıurfa (Riha) on Tuesday, calling for the release of jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan. Organised by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Youth Council, the march will culminate on 4 April in the Amara neighbourhood of Halfeti, Öcalan’s birthplace, to mark his 76th birthday.
Gathering at Sheikh Said Square in Diyarbakır, protesters donned vests reading “Marching for Freedom” and chanted pro-Öcalan slogans. The event saw participation from DEM Party MPs Beritan Güneş and Onur Düşünmez, activists from the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), and members of the Peace Mothers Initiative and civil society groups.
Addressing the crowd, DEM Party Diyarbakır co-chair Abbas Şahin said, “For 50 years, the struggle has been driven by the unresolved Kurdish question. We march to uphold Öcalan’s call for a democratic society.”
His supporters see him as a key figure for peace talks between Turkey and its Kurdish population, while Ankara considers the PKK, which he founded, a terrorist organisation.
Ömer Öcalan, a DEM Party MP and nephew of the imprisoned leader, wrote on social media on Tuesday, “April represents rebirth for us. This freedom march is a commitment to peace and democracy.”
Marchers are expected to pass through Siverek (Sêwreg), Hilvan (Curnê Reş), and Şanlıurfa before reaching Amara. Along the route, residents showed support with victory signs and applause from balconies, while slogans like “Jin, jiyan, azadî” (Women, Life, Freedom) echoed through the streets.
The march follows mass rallies held during International Women’s Day and Newroz, where Kurds voiced demands for greater political and cultural rights. The DEM Party Youth Council declared that Öcalan’s 27 February statement, described as a ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society‘ had inspired the mobilisation.
Critics argue that policies by the Turkish authorities towards Öcalan and the broader Kurdish issue exacerbate tensions. The government has yet to respond to the latest demonstrations, but previous marches have faced police crackdowns.
As the march progresses towards Amara, organisers call on Kurds across Turkey to join them, framing their movement as a step towards self-determination and a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish question.
Öcalan, jailed since 1999 on the Turkish prison island of Imrali, had been in total isolation for almost four years, with no access to his lawyers or family. In October 2024, his 44-month-long isolation was broken following a call from far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli for renewed peace talks. His nephew, DEM Party MP Ömer Öcalan, was able to visit him on 23 October. Following this visit, the DEM Party’s İmralı delegation met with Öcalan twice for shuttle negotiations, and on 27 February 2025, a third visit took place, attended by DEM Party co-chairs and Öcalan’s lawyers. During this meeting, Öcalan called for the dissolution of the PKK as part of a democratic transformation in Turkey. His statement was welcomed by the Kurdish freedom movement, though the Turkish state has made only tentative steps towards a new peace process. Most recently, Öcalan met with his nephew Ömer Öcalan and his brother Mehmet Öcalan on 31 March, ahead of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
