Geneva- As part of the “Dem Dema Azadiyê (English: It is the time for freedom)” initiative, the Kurds and their friends have been holding a sit-in every Wednesday in front of the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva to demand freedom for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. Yesterday, the sit-in entered its 29th month. During the sit-in around the tent set up in Place des Nations Square, French and English leaflets giving information about the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan were distributed.

 This week, the Kurds and their friends protested the attempt of the Iraqi government to surround the Makhmour refugee camp with wire fences and concrete blocks. Mehmet Latif Çelebi, co-chair of the Geneva Democratic Kurdish Community Center, made a speech, pointing out that the attacks on the Kurdish people have been intensified everywhere. “Now, they try to besiege the Makhmour refugee camp.”

 Underlining that this attempt is directly related to the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Mehmet Latif Çelebi said, “The leader (Abdullah Öcalan) is the lifeblood of the Kurdish people and they try to cut this lifeblood by imposing an isolation. The Kurdish people will always stand up for their leader in every situation and everywhere.”