Hanover – February 4, 2026
Last week, various groups travelled to the Kurdish region of Turkey as part of the ‘Caravan to Defend Humanity’. There, they wanted to express their solidarity with the resistance of the population of the besieged city of Kobane and report on the humanitarian situation in the region of the Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria.
In recent days, 50 people associated with the Caravan have been arrested by Turkish police and deported from Turkey. Some of those are making serious allegations against Turkish officials. They report mistreatment during their detention, including beatings, kicks, and sexual violence, as well as forced strip searches.
“We were taken to solitary confinement cells and beaten for hours”, said Marlene Heldmann, a journalist and member of the youth delegation. They were also subjected to psychological torture, such as threats of execution. Some were left handcuffed on the floor for hours. They were denied access to a lawyer.
Now they are consulting with lawyers in Turkey from the “Association of Lawyers for Freedom” (ÖHD) and in their home countries to evaluate possible legal action against Turkish officials.
“Through imprisonment, violence, torture, and deportation, the Turkish state wanted to prevent us from expressing our solidarity with the people of Kobane and from reporting on the war against the Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria. Every means is being used to prevent the public from forming its own opinion of the situation on the ground”, says Marlene Heldmann, a member of the youth delegation that participated in the Caravan.
“What we experienced is just a small glimpse into the everyday violence that the Kurdish population and the political opposition in Turkey are subjected to. For years, the Kurdish population and their struggle for a free and dignified life have been criminalised and violently suppressed”, says Zozan Ombor.
On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, another 96 people were arrested in Turkey in a coordinated police operation. Those affected include numerous individuals from trade unions, the press, and political organisations. Among them are journalists from the ETHA news agency, which had previously reported on the Caravan. Between January 1 and February 2, the ÖHD (“Association of Lawyers for Freedom”) documented more than 800 arrests, over 100 detentions, dozens of cases of physical violence, and numerous violations of children’s rights and the freedom of lawyers to practice their profession.
“These forms of violence and torture are widespread in Turkey. In particular, the demands for and efforts toward a democratic society are met with human rights violations and oppression. Therefore, the struggle for a dignified peace is an internationalist responsibility”, emphasises the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) in Turkey.
The Caravan also criticises European states for their support of the Turkish government and the Islamist regime in Damascus.
“How can it be that authoritarian and Islamist governments like those in Damascus and Ankara are tolerated and supported by European states such as Germany and France? We call on European governments to strongly condemn Turkey’s human rights violations, end their support for the Syrian regime, and instead politically recognise the Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria”, emphasises Gesa Jonasson.
Members of the delegation are available for questions and interviews.
Press contact:
Caravan press contact: +31613048773
(Best reached via Signal, WhatsApp, and email)
About the ‘Caravan to Defend Humanity’
The ‘Caravan to Defend Humanity’ was formed in response to the escalating attacks on the Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria, also known as Rojava, by many committed individuals in Europe. The participants of the Caravan share the goal of sending a strong message of solidarity with the resistance of the people in North and East Syria.
On January 23, 2026, more than one hundred people from over ten countries joined the Caravan on its journey to Kobane, travelling along various routes. Among them were journalists, farmers, craftspeople, members of a European network against femicide, and representatives of the Göttingen-Tirbespiyê (Syria) city partnership.
