A coordinated series of events across Europe from 1-10 October 2024 has been demanding the immediate release of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, and a political resolution to the Kurdish question. These events, organised as part of the broader campaign, “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan – Political Solution for the Kurdish Question”, saw actions in several cities, highlighting Öcalan’s central role in the Kurdish struggle and his potential to facilitate peace in the Middle East.
In St Gallen, Switzerland, a panel titled “Leadership and Democratic Socialism” and an exhibition of photographs headed “Abdullah Öcalan and the Rojava revolution” were organised by the Centre for Democratic Kurdish Society. Democratic Alevi Federation (FEDA) co-chair Demir Çelik and Swiss Kurdish Language Institute Director Emin Uslu participated in these events. The two-part photo exhibition detailed both the process by which Öcalan ended up imprisoned on İmralı Prison island and the Rojava revolution, highlighting their significance in the Kurdish struggle. Representatives of the St Gallen branches of Socialist Youth (JUSO) and the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP) also visited the exhibition.
Çelik sat on the panel, where he highlighted the aggravated isolation imposed on Öcalan, urging institutions and individuals to remain vigilant about this injustice. “[Fighting for] Mr Öcalan’s freedom is the duty of all of us, because the isolation is not only applied to his person, but to the entire Kurdish people, and to the hope of the people of the Middle East and of the world to live in peace,” Çelik declared. He further argued that society does not require the existence of a state to govern itself, but rather, it can self-organise, and govern with ethical values.
This message echoed across multiple locations where the campaign has unfolded. In Germany, the campaign kicked off in Heilbronn with a powerful address by Zübeyde Zümrüt, co-chair of the Kurdistan Democratic Communities Congress-Europe (KCDK-E). Zümrüt highlighted Öcalan’s philosophy and the broader international conspiracy aimed at undermining Kurdish aspirations for freedom. She also put out a call for people to join protests in Stuttgart and Cologne in the near future, and honoured martyrs to the Kurdish cause.
A gathering organised by the Berîtan Women’s Assembly in Zurich featured Kurdish politician Kemal Aktaş, who reflected on the global implications of the conspiracy that led to Öcalan’s capture in 1999. He stressed Öcalan’s significance in any potential solution to the Kurdish issue and the pressing need for international action.
Further protests in Darmstadt, Germany saw Dilek Öcalan, a relative of the Kurdish leader, talking about his choice to go into political exile in order to avoid further conflict. She criticised the European Court of Human Rights for its failure to act in favour of Öcalan, and called for continued efforts to force an end to the isolation imposed on him. In addition, Ömer Güneş, a lawyer acting for Öcalan, spoke in Marseille, focusing on the legal violations surrounding Öcalan’s imprisonment and urging international solidarity.
In Nuremberg, politician Abdullah Demirbaş talked about the strategic importance of the Kurdish issue within the broader Middle Eastern conflict and called for people to join in a massive demonstration in Cologne, planned for 16 November, while in Stuttgart, journalist Sefkan Kobanê pointed to the geopolitical dimensions of Öcalan’s isolation and its ties to the Kurdish movement.
Osman Kapan of the KCDK spoke in Hanau, describing the isolation imposed on Öcalan as a broader attack on Kurdish freedom, while in Kassel, Kurdish politician Cuma Tak addressed the international dimensions of the Kurdish struggle. The campaign gained further support in Friedrichshafen, where Ruken Akça, co-chair of the German Kurdish Associations Confederation, rallied the diaspora to unite for Öcalan’s vision of peace.
The campaign culminates in a major protest in Cologne on 16 November 2024, where thousands will demand Öcalan’s release and advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish question, reaffirming that without Öcalan’s freedom, there can be no genuine peace in the region.
