{"id":13698,"date":"2025-06-17T06:30:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T06:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freedomforabdullahocalan.org\/en\/?p=13698"},"modified":"2025-06-17T06:30:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T06:30:06","slug":"the-freedom-for-abdullah-ocalan-campaign-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/?p=13698","title":{"rendered":"The ‘Freedom for Abdullah \u00d6calan’ campaign – I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Launched in 2023, the international campaign \u201cFreedom for Abdullah \u00d6calan and a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question\u201d raised the call for peace with marches, vigils, and panels. \u00d6calan\u2019s call on February 27 gave new momentum to the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An international campaign called “Freedom for \u00d6calan \u2013 A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question” was launched on October 10, 2023 in 74 places around the world. 74 represents the age of the Kurdish leader Abdullah \u00d6calan who has been held as a hostage on the prison island of Imrali since his handover to Turkey as a result of an international conspiracy that began on 9 October 1998, when he was forced to leave Syria and ended on 15 February 1999, when he was deported from Kenya to Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the places where main press conferences were held was in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The campaign unites social movements, political parties, municipalities, unions, activists, intellectuals, and millions of Kurds and their friends worldwide around a shared goal: making a just and democratic political solution to Turkey’s century-old Kurdish question possible by enabling Kurdish leader Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s freedom as a prerequisite to the beginning of a new peace process in Turkey and the wider region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global campaign has been ongoing for nearly two years with the support of the Kurdish diaspora in Europe, trade unions, human rights organizations, and intellectuals.The campaign, which spread across Europe with marches, rallies, panels, vigils, signature campaigns, and diplomatic initiatives, brought the end of Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s 25 years of severe isolation in Imral\u0131 Prison and the peaceful resolution of the Kurdish question to the international agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the day-by-day details of what has happened since the campaign\u2019s inception in Europe up to the present day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 10, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Press statements were organized in 74 locations, primarily in Strasbourg, home to the Council of Europe, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simultaneous press statements were also made not only across European countries but in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tokyo, India, Kenya, South Africa, Latin America, and dozens of other locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A broad spectrum of people all around the world, including academics, journalists, civil society organizations, political parties, members of parliament, human rights activists, philosophers, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, women\u2019s organizations, and representatives of indigenous peoples, launched the “Freedom for Abdullah \u00d6calan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question” initiative on a global scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 16, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E) announced its participation in the campaign with a press conference. Co-chairs Z\u00fcbeyde Z\u00fcmr\u00fct and Engin Sever called on the Kurdish community in Europe to mobilize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

December 7-14, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the “Global Abdullah \u00d6calan Books Day,” public readings from \u00d6calan’s books were held in 160 locations in Europe, including Germany, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK), Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Tent protests and forums were also organized in Frankfurt, Paris, and Geneva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

December 9, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across Europe (Belgium, Germany, France), an International Women’s Delegation composed of lawyers, members of parliament, ecologists, and civil society representatives from seven countries visited Turkey to meet with Abdullah \u00d6calan’s lawyers. The delegation prepared a report on the conditions of isolation in Imral\u0131 and submitted it to the CPT, the United Nations (UN), and the Council of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 8, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the leadership of KCDK-E, a campaign was launched to send hundreds of thousands of postcards to Abdullah \u00d6calan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 23-25, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the call of the KCDK-E, a three-day action was held in front of the building of the Council of Europe. The protest denounced the isolation imposed on Abdullah \u00d6calan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 1, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public meetings were organized in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Dresden (Germany), where participants discussed the isolation of \u00d6calan and a possible solution to the Kurdish question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 7, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Events were held in Hamburg (Germany), Sarcelles (France), and Stockholm (Sweden), calling for participation in the Cologne march scheduled for February 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 10, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mannheim and Frankfurt (Germany), young people launched the “Journey for Freedom” march and a campaign to send postcards to \u00d6calan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An internationalist march was held between Basel and Saint-Louis on the Swiss-French border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 11-15, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internationalist activists launched the <\/strong>“Freedom March”. Over 200 internationalists, the majority of whom were women, joined the march from France, the UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Chile. The march concluded in Strasbourg on February 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 25th anniversary of the international conspiracy against \u00d6calan, young activists unfurled a banner bearing \u00d6calan’s image inside the plenary hall of the European Parliament, chanting the slogan, “Our patience has run out, freedom for Abdullah \u00d6calan.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 17, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A central march and rally were held in Cologne, Germany, with the participation of hundreds of thousands. Banners bearing Abdullah \u00d6calan’s image were carried throughout the march.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 8, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the International Women\u2019s Day events, Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s paradigm of women\u2019s liberation was highlighted under the slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azad\u00ee” (Woman, Life, Freedom) Women\u2019s organizations across Europe also supported these events promoted by the Free Women\u2019s Movement (TJA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 23, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Panathinaikos-Barcelona EuroLeague basketball game in Athens, Greece, a banner reading “Freedom for \u00d6calan” was unfurled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 4, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the occasion of Abdullah \u00d6calan’s 75th birthday, celebrations and marches were organized. The demonstrations once again denounced the isolation imposed on him in Imral\u0131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 13, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rallies demanding Abdullah \u00d6calan’s freedom were held in Mannheim (Germany) and Copenhagen (Denmark).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 8, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Peace in Kurdistan Initiative wrote a letter urging the CPT to send a delegation to Imral\u0131 Prison. Renowned personalities such as Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn, and Simon Dubbins from Unite the Union also expressed their support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 1-10, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the occasion of the campaign\u2019s first anniversary, a new call for action was made. The CPT\u2019s response to the letters demonstrated the campaign\u2019s growing influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Spain, the Feminist Women\u2019s Collective organized a seminar discussing Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s ideas and the Kurdish women\u2019s revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Berlin, Germany, an exhibition was opened displaying portraits of Abdullah \u00d6calan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In London, the UK, Kurdish institutions called for breaking down the walls of isolation in Imral\u0131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kiel, Germany, Defend Kurdistan, J\u00eeyana J\u00een, and the Kiel Democratic Kurdish Community Assembly set up stands introducing Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Geneva, Switzerland, a reading event was held at Fahrenheit Bookstore focusing on Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s model of democratic life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Aarau and St. Gallen, Switzerland, the documentary “History of Fire” was screened bythe Rojb\u00een Women\u2019s Assembly and T\u00eer\u00eaj\u00ean Roj\u00ea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 1, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A civil disobedience action was held in Strasbourg, France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 2, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Basque Country and Catalonia, senators and members of parliament sent a letter to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, demanding action for Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s freedom and a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 15, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Strasbourg, France, during the first sessions of the European Parliament in 2025, members of the European Parliament visited the “Vigil for Freedom” for Abdullah \u00d6calan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 29, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the UK, the Peace in Kurdistan Campaign wrote a letter to Xavier Bettel, Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, demanding Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 15, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Strasbourg, on the 26th anniversary of the international conspiracy against \u00d6calan on February 15, 1999, a central march and rally were held with the participation of hundreds of thousands. The crowd gathered at Parc de l\u2019Etoile to demand \u00d6calan\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Lorient (Lannester), France, the 26-day-long “Long March” was launched, demanding \u00d6calan\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 11-12, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Italy, a conference was organized under the leadership of the Kurdistan Information Bureau and the global campaign committee, hosted by the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL). More than 300 delegates from 16 countries participated in the conference, where Emily Clachy, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Bologna, and Simon Dubbins from Unite the Union delivered speeches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 5-10, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Forum for Freedom and Peace (EFFP) launched the campaign “I Want to Meet with Abdullah \u00d6calan.” The Left Group in the European Parliament, the Party of the European Left, and Progressive International expressed their support for the campaign<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Launched in 2023, the international campaign \u201cFreedom for Abdullah \u00d6calan and a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question\u201d raised the call for peace with marches, vigils, and panels. \u00d6calan\u2019s call on February 27 gave new momentum to the campaign. An international campaign called “Freedom for \u00d6calan \u2013 A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question” was launched […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1000-27.jpg?fit=990%2C556&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13700,"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13698\/revisions\/13700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freedomocalansyria.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}