A concert was held in Paris on Saturday calling for the release of Kurdish political prisoners, including Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is being held in isolation in Turkey’s İmralı Prison. The event was part of the international “Freedom for Öcalan – A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question” campaign, which seeks to raise awareness about Öcalan’s imprisonment and advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue.
“Free Öcalan”: A global call for justice and peace
Hosted by Berivan Fırat and Baran Kara of the Democratic Kurdish Council of France (CDK-F), the concert began with a CDK-F statement read by co-chair Şahin Polat, condemning the severe isolation imposed on Öcalan and urging solidarity among oppressed peoples through the political model of democratic confederalism, which Öcalan has promoted from prison.
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Ömer Güneş, a lawyer representing Öcalan, addressed the crowd, stating, “The [imposition of] isolation in İmralı is torture and a crime against humanity.” He criticised the silence of European institutions regarding this ongoing treatment of Öcalan.
The concert took place at the Montreuil Congress Palace and featured performances by Kurdish musicians, including Mouss et Hakim, Rodolphe Burger, Sofiane Saidi and Hekîm Sefkan. The event was organised by a coalition of Kurdish and international organisations, including the CDK-F, the Kurdish Women’s Movement of France (TJK-F), the Kurdistan Cultural Association, and the Danielle Mitterrand Foundation.
