The Kurds and their European supporters are preparing to host a significant two-day protest march and rally in Lausanne to mark a century of the Treaty of Lausanne, which was drafted in the absence of any Kurdish representatives and did not recognise Kurdish statehood.
The Democratic Kurdish Council of Switzerland (CDK-S) has called for the public to join the march, scheduled to take place on 22 July at Place de la Navigation in the city.
The Kurdish community will gather at 11:30 am on Saturday outside the historic Château d’Ouchy building on the banks of Lake Léman, from where they will embark on a march towards the Ruminex Palace, the very spot where the Treaty of Lausanne was signed a hundred years ago, and the march will culminate in a public rally to express their aspirations and demands, according to the CDK-S Executive Council.
The Council further announced that they will host a national conference on 22 July with the participation of representatives from 57 Kurdish parties, organisations, and institutions from Syria, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
“We will demonstrate to the global community our unwavering commitment to our demands, and our determination not to lose ground,” said the Council in its announcement, emphasising that the conference’s main objective is to assess the position of Kurds in the national, regional and global context as they enter the second century of the Treaty of Lausanne.