E-Haberler 
PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is under absolute isolation, has initiated the “Great Freedom March” demanding his physical freedom and the resolution of the Kurdish issue. The delegation participating in the march visited the graves of those who lost their lives during the curfews in Cizre. The crowd chanted slogans of “Martyrs never die” as they marched from Asri Cemetery to Yafes Cemetery.
Throughout the march, the Peace Mothers walked with slogans saying, “Home is the place of the Martyrs, not the place of Mehmet”. Prayers were recited and a promise of struggle was made at Yafes Cemetery, where those who lost their lives during the curfews were buried. The families who lost their loved ones at the cemetery experienced emotional moments.
The march then moved from Yafes Cemetery to Asri Cemetery. At Asri Cemetery, they visited the graves of Cemile Çağırga and Orhan Doğan, who lost their lives during the curfews and were kept in refrigerators for 11 days. After prayers were recited at the cemetery, carnations were left on the graves.
DEMParty Amed MP Cengiz Çandar stated, “Where are we now? We are in Turkey. In which geography are we? We are in the Kurdish geography. We are in the Botan region of Kurdistan. We are in the center of Botan, Cizre. Some of us have ‘Meşa azadiyê’ written on us, which means Freedom March. Why is it called ‘Freedom March’? Because there is no freedom, no democracy for Kurds. There is no peace in Turkey. That’s why the march is called ‘Freedom March’. To lift the isolation on Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı. We haven’t heard anything from Abdullah Öcalan for 3 years. What is he doing, what is he thinking? Nobody knows. Is it important to hear what he says? Why is his speech important? When he spoke, there was hope for peace in Turkey, there was hope for the resolution of the Kurdish issue. Silencing Abdullah Öcalan’s voice means darkening the clouds, means black clouds descending upon hope in Turkey.”
Çandar continued, “With Abdullah Öcalan’s speech, hope for peace in Turkey was rising. There was hope for democracy because there can’t be democracy without Kurds. Who ruined this? It wasn’t ruined because Abdullah Öcalan spoke. On the contrary, it was ruined when they stopped talking to Abdullah Öcalan. Dark clouds descended upon peace. Right now, we say ‘There is no peace’. They are not doing anything else. If the police are walking around in the middle of Botan, if there is no freedom in Cizre, it means there is no peace in Kurdistan. Therefore, there is a problem in Turkey. When Abdullah Öcalan spoke, there were hopes. The cutting off of communication with Öcalan means that we started living in a troubled country. That’s why Freedom March is synonymous with the lifting of isolation on Abdullah Öcalan.”
Çandar emphasized that Orhan Doğan had an unforgettable quality in the minds of the Kurdish people and said, “They tried to make Orhan Doğan lower his head and put him in a police vehicle, but they could never make him lower his head. If we are here with his daughter Ayşegül Doğan, if we are here wearing vests with ‘Freedom March’ written on them, if we are speaking for the lifting of isolation, if we are marching for peace, we also say to Orhan, ‘You never lost your status as a symbol of democracy in Turkey. You were the symbol of the brotherhood between Kurds and Turks in Turkey. You were the symbol of hope for peace in Turkey. You were an unyielding Kurdish MP. And today, the Freedom March will continue in your presence. We promise that we will continue this struggle in your path. We promise that this march will continue until it reaches peace and freedom’.”
After the speeches, the Freedom March participants moved on to hold meetings in homes.
MA
