February 2024 marks a quarter-century since the arrest of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an event the Kurdish community decries as an international conspiracy.
The Internationalist Long March is poised to spotlight this anniversary, rallying global support for Öcalan’s release and advocating for dialogue on the Kurdish question. The march, spanning from 10 to 17 February, aims to be a pivotal moment in the campaign “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question”.
Öcalan’s capture in Kenya on 15 February 1999, involving agencies like the CIA, MI5 and Mossad, and his subsequent transfer to Turkey have been contentious, with many arguing it breached Kenyan and international laws. His ongoing solitary confinement in İmralı Island Prison, devoid of external contact for 35 months, has ignited international calls for his liberation.
The march, beginning in Basel, Switzerland, on 10 February, will include key events such as a conference in Strasbourg on 15 February and a pan-European demonstration in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Germany, on 17 February. These events are crucial components of the broader effort to shed light on Öcalan’s situation and the broader Kurdish struggle for rights and recognition.
Engin Sever, Co-chair of European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E), and Zübeyde Zümrüt, Co-chair of the European Kurdish Women’s Movement (TJK-E), have voiced the importance of this year’s demonstrations, with Sever stating, “This year we enter the 25th year of the international conspiracy. We must organise the biggest demonstration so far”. Zümrüt further emphasised the extensive preparations underway, including mobilising hundreds of organisations and coordinating transport for participants.
The call to action extends beyond the Kurdish diaspora, inviting global allies to partake in the Long March and related activities. This collective effort underlines the Kurdish resolve to challenge Öcalan’s imprisonment and to seek a peaceful resolution to longstanding grievances.
