Annual protests against the Turkish state’s imprisonment of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan took place across Europe and the rest of the world this month.
‘Long Marches’ took place in several cities such as Marseilles, Helsiniki, Malmö, Athens and Copenhagen. These marches covered a great distance and lasted for several days.
Many marches ended with rallies in front of locations relevant to the international conspiracy to abduct Abdullah Öcalan and place him in solitary confinement in the Turkish prison island of İmralı.
The imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan has been compared to the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela by the South African executive. It is a significant symbol of the Turkish state’s refusal to enter meaningful dialogue with Kurdish communities instead choosing to violate their human rights.
The day of the 21st anniversary of the abduction of Abdullah Öcalan from Kenya to Turkey, the 15th of February, saw several protests.
In Yerevan on the anniversary a crowd gathered in front of the Opera House and loudly waved flags and banners with the image of the Kurdish leader as they marched to the Shahumyan Square where a rally was held.
Protests also took place in London, with hundreds gathering in front of the BBC before marching to Trafalgar square.