The Freedom Vigil for Abdullah Öcalan was launched on June 25, 2012 in Strasbourg. The main demands of the vigil are the freedom of the leader of the Kurdish people Abdullah Öcalan and the breaking of his isolation. This is week number 533 of the vigil which was taken over by a group of activists from the Dutch Center for Kurdish Democratic Society (DKTM) and the Dutch Kurdish Women’s Movement.

The group includes Hüseyin Yıldız, Dayika Şükran and Şirin Farqîn.

Break the isolation

In his speech on behalf of the group, DKTM member Hüseyin Yıldız highlighted the worsening isolation of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held on the high-security island prison of Imrali since February 15, 1999.

Yıldız said: “Today we resumed Freedom Vigil. Our leader has been under severe pressure and isolation since he was arrested by an international conspiracy and handed over to the Turkish state. The world is silent about it.”

Hüseyin Yıldız called for the fulfillment of responsibilities for the release of Abdullah Öcalan, Yıldız said: “As Kurdish people, and especially as a movement, we have not been able to free our leader. This means that we have not fulfilled our responsibilities conscientiously, morally and sincerely.Now we must redouble our efforts to ensure the freedom of our leader.

Yıldız continued, “We are resuming the vigil this week as it is our duty to continue the struggle until we release our leader. We must resist in all areas of society, against the fascist colonial system and the special war of the world capitalist system. .”

Our freedom depends on the freedom of our leader

Dayika Şükran, a member of the Dutch Kurdish Women’s Movement, said: “Our freedom depends on the freedom of our leader”, and added: “I take over the Vigil on behalf of the Kurdish women of the Netherlands. We want our leader to be free. Our freedom depends on the freedom of our leader. We call on women to come and join this vigil to end isolation.