On the occasion of its 45th founding anniversary, the PKK Executive Committee declared its determination to continue fighting against all forms of patriarchy, nationalism, racism, the liberalism of capitalist modernity and to create a democratic system.
On November 27th, the PKK celebrates its 45th founding anniversary. On the occasion of this historic date, the PKK called for the coming year to be the year of the liberation of the Kurdish representative Abdullah Öcalan, jailed in Imrali, and the resolution of the Kurdish question. The statement from the PKK Executive Committee said: “We are now celebrating the 45th anniversary of the founding of the PKK, our pioneer in the fight for freedom. As a movement, a people and democratic humanity, we enter the 46th year even stronger and more determined on the basis of the global freedom campaign. We are convinced that this year we will achieve important achievements to guarantee the physical freedom of Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan].
The 45th year was a year of great struggle and great achievements
With this in mind, we congratulate all our comrades, especially Rêber Apo, our patriotic people and our revolutionary-democratic friends on November 27th, the celebration and founding day of the party. We remember with deep respect, love and gratitude all of our courageous martyrs, starting with Heval Haki Karer up to those who died in the 45th year, whom we would like to remember here by naming comrades Leyla, Axîn, Rojhat and Erdal. For the 46th year of the PKK, we announce that we will fight even harder on the line of apoism and the martyr and achieve even greater victories.”
The statement continued: “As is well known, Rêber Apo and the PKK were not born into active, ongoing resistance, nor did they inherit the possibilities of such resistance. On the contrary, the PKK emerged and developed as a modern national liberation, freedom and democracy movement in an environment in which the classic uprisings had been completely crushed, all momentum had been stifled and the Kurdish people were almost annihilated on the basis of a cultural genocide brought to the brink of extinction. The PKK emerged and developed solely thanks to the creative efforts of its leader Abdullah Öcalan and the great courage and sacrifice of the Kurdish people, led by young people and women. For this reason, every moment was a moment of intense struggle. Each year witnessed much more extensive resistance and war than the previous, and everything from a few words to a free life was achieved through great sacrifice by the fallen. The PKK’s 45th year was also a year of great struggle and full of successes.
Apoism became global
Everyone today knows and accepts the fact that the Kurdish people, through the great struggle led by Rêber Apo and the PKK, overcame the cultural genocide and won everything for their survival and freedom through the struggle led by Rêber Apo and the PKK. With the struggle of the last half century, the Kurdish slave mentality and the threat of extinction have been overcome and a free Kurdish identity has been created, an identity in which people have the strength and will to pay any price for their freedom. Kurdistan has transformed from a bastion of reaction to a bastion of the freedom struggle. A place that inspires all oppressed humanity. Kurdish society became aware of the apoist ideology of freedom and organized itself. She led the most important war of freedom in history. On the basis of such a struggle, apoism was globalized and the Kurdish freedom struggle became a fire lighting the path of all oppressed humanity.”
The 21st century has become the century of women’s liberation
The statement added: “The PKK’s struggle in its 45th year has brought all of these developments to a climax. The guerrilla resistance led by the struggle in the Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna areas and the brave struggle of our people and our friends in the four parts of Kurdistan and abroad have dealt severe blows to the AKP-MHP fascism and brought it to the brink of collapse. The comprehensive revolutionary people’s war and resistance for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and against the isolation, torture and extermination system on Imrali has reached a strength that also influences the agenda of regional and global politics. The Kurdistan Free Women’s Movement, which developed on the lines of ‘Jin Jiyan Azadî’, has impressed women all over the world with its ideological and practical struggle and has already made the 21st century a century of women’s freedom. The Kurdish youth movement is a pioneer in building a global youth movement as an alternative of democratic modernity to capitalist modernity. She has the will to shape the future with her own hands.
A new global democracy movement has begun
We welcome the guerrilla, popular, women and youth resistance in the 45th year of the PKK, which is following the trail of resistance in all areas from dungeons to the mountains, from the four parts of Kurdistan to all places in the world developed by Imrali; We congratulate their success and honor all those who died in the process. We believe that all this self-sacrificing resistance will become even more successful and stronger in the 46th year and wish everyone much success in this regard.
It is clear that we will enter the 46th party year with the campaign ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish question’ announced on 10 October. This global freedom campaign was initiated by our friends and is supported by our people and all of humanity. Now there are actions in every region and every day demanding the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and the solution to the Kurdish question. Our people and our friends are entering the new year of the party with this broad and effective mobilization. Women and young people are leading this campaign on a global scale. Freedom-minded and democratic people of all genders, nationalities and social classes are taking part in this campaign. A new global fight for freedom and democracy has begun. This great struggle, which is developing for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and on the basis of the adoption of his democratic, ecological and women’s liberation paradigm, shows that a new ‘global democracy movement’ has indeed begun.”
Participate in the Freedom Campaign
The statement added: “It is clear that the PKK’s 46th year will make this active freedom campaign its basis. All struggles, from guerrilla to women’s, youth and popular resistance, will unite in this global freedom campaign. Our movement, our people and our friends will fight and win against the fascist dictatorship of Tayyip Erdoğan and his alliance through this campaign. In the 45th year of the struggle, the foundations of the murderous system were shaken and a process was initiated in which all balances were disturbed. In the 46th year, the freedom struggle will complete this development and destroy AKP-MHP fascism.
On this basis, it will open the way for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and a solution to the Kurdish question. In this context, we call on all comrades, our patriotic people and our democratic friends to properly understand the meaning of the global freedom campaign launched on 10 October, to participate fully and strongly in it and to use it in diverse and creative ways to lead forms of fighting to victory.”
The path is open, the light lies before us
The statement remarked: “Our goal for the 46th year, our aspirations and will to succeed are based on this. Based on the global freedom campaign, no violence, no invasion, no massacre, no persecution and no deception will be able to prevent us from moving further towards the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and a solution to the Kurdish question. The people of Kurdistan will never allow themselves to become victims of regional and global conflicts of interest, like the people of Gaza. The liberalism of capitalist modernity, as well as the nationalism, fundamentalism, sexism and positivist scienticism that these wars give rise to, will be strongly and effectively combated in all areas. Efforts are being made to ensure that all oppressed groups and peoples develop consciousness and organize themselves to wage a common struggle based on democratic confederalism. Democratic confederalism is based on democratic autonomy and democratic nationhood. On this basis, the line of development and strengthening of the strategic alliance with the freedom and democracy struggles of all oppressed groups and peoples and the use of all kinds of tactical relationships will be pursued.
It is clear that in the 46th year our path is open and leads into the light. It is clear where, what and how we should act. Let us understand these realities more accurately and deeply, internalize the apoist paradigm of freedom more, participate more in the global freedom campaign, and fight with more creative methods in every field and lead the campaign to victory! Let’s make the 46th year of the PKK the year of Rêber Apo’s physical freedom and the solution of the Kurdish question!
On this basis, we once again warmly congratulate Rêber Apo, all our companions, our people and our friends on November 27th, the day of the party, and call on everyone to celebrate the founding day of the PKK with a variety of actions. We will reconnect it with the global freedom campaign to celebrate with great enthusiasm!
Against all forms of patriarchy
We would also like to remember 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We condemn all forms and dimensions of patriarchy. We believe that the revolution for women’s liberation will be further strengthened by developing the fight against violence against women. We declare that both men and women should participate in activities on this basis, and we welcome all actions that develop on the basis of the women’s liberation revolution and wish them great success.”