Besê Hozat, co-chair of the Executive Council of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union), announced in a television broadcast on 16 July that the AKP government had demanded "certain concessions" so that family and lawyer visits to Abdullah Öcalan would be permitted again. Trusted intermediaries had announced: "If the PKK fulfils the following points, family and lawyer visits will be possible." The Turkish state has thus made Rêber Apo's [Abdullah Öcalan's] most basic right, namely family and lawyer visits, the subject of open political blackmail. Of course, the KCK leadership rejected this immoral blackmail, in principle a "ransom demand", without hesitation.

This issue has dominated the agenda of the Kurdish public in recent days. The meaning and reasons for this blackmail attempt have been discussed from many angles. Various patriotic Kurdish institutions and organizations explain their position on this issue. Above all, it has been stated that this situation means a further intensification of actions within the framework of the global offensive for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.

In fact, nothing can be said about this situation on a legal or moral level. However, it is enough to state that AKP-MHP fascism does not have even a shred of law and morality. So what else can be said? It is quite clear that the AKP's demand is blatant blackmail. This once again shows quite openly that Abdullah Öcalan is being held hostage. In this way, the regime admits exactly that. Until now, we were the ones who said that Abdullah Öcalan was a hostage, but this was always denied by those in the government. Now the AKP accepts that Rêber Apo is being held as a political hostage in Imralı. This is the first point that needs to be made.

Secondly, it is clear that the AKP government has come under massive pressure due to the freedom [for Öcalan] initiatives [organized around the world] and is having difficulty maintaining the isolation any longer. This shows the strength of the global campaign that the Kurdish people and their friends have been continuing uninterruptedly since 10 October 2023.

It is obvious that those in charge of the isolation torture system on Imrali did not attach much importance to the freedom campaign at first. But the campaign aimed at the physical freedom of Rêber Apo continued steadfastly and developed further inside and outside the country. The most important feature of the campaign was its continuity and spread. At the global level, humanist sections of society increasingly participated in the campaign. The initiative reached its first peak in the protests against the international conspiracy on 15 February 2024. The second phase built on this and culminated in the 8 March and Newroz protests. The guerrilla resistance, especially in the Zap region, the increasingly developing prison resistance, the non-stop demonstrations and protests led by women and youth in all four parts of Kurdistan and abroad have continuously expanded the freedom initiative and ensured its continuity.

An important aspect of the resistance was, of course, the participation and support of various organizations and individuals. Thousands of lawyers and politicians from home and abroad requested to visit Rêber Apo in Imrali. Intellectuals, politicians, writers and other prominent figures from all over Europe and many organizations, especially trade unions, sent letters to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) asking it to send a delegation to Imrali. This commitment reached its peak when 69 Nobel Prize winners sent letters to international organizations and individuals demanding the physical freedom of Rêber Apo.

All this has increased the pressure on the forces behind the Imrali system and put the AKP government in a very difficult position. The issue was discussed in the UN Human Rights Committee and a clear response was demanded from the Turkish government. The AKP government, which is coming under increasing pressure, is aware that it can no longer maintain the current system in Imrali. Nevertheless, it is trying to profit from this situation and demands compensation for a legal right. It cannot explain to anyone why there has been no sign of life from Imrali for 41 months. This pressure is the concrete result of the global freedom campaign. This is the second important point.

Of course, we should also look at the following situation at this point: It seems that the AKP can no longer carry out its deceptions as easily as in the past. Obviously, Rêber Apo is not giving them the opportunity to do so. Whatever it does, it cannot carry out its deceptions and machinations as before. We all need to understand the situation clearly and not give room to the regime's deceptions.

Of course, there are other reasons behind this effort by the AKP. For example, by spreading the lie that the PKK set a fire in Hewlêr [Erbil], it was trying to distract from the fact that the presence of the occupation forces in the Medya Defense Areas has reached the level of annexation. Now MIT, the KDP and the Turkish government are trying to minimize the protests against the attacks by spreading the lie that the PKK has spread throughout Iraq and poses a great danger. At the same time, diplomatic relations with Assad, mediated by Russia, are intended to create a new basis for further invasions in northern and eastern Syria.

So what does all this mean? It is very clear that the Syria policy of the AKP-MHP fascism has completely collapsed. It is obvious that the new developments in Syria will lead to a dead end in the near future. The Turkish state cannot carry out its invasion and annexation attacks on the Medya Defense Areas against the historical guerrilla resistance. Rather, the army is stuck in the areas it has invaded. If the clashes drag on, the Turkish state must expect stronger reactions from Iraq and abroad.

Massacres are constantly being carried out in the Medya Defense Areas and in Northern and Eastern Syria. But no results have been achieved. The Turkish state is in a political and military dead end in both regions and is unable to act. It seems as if it does not know what to do and how to get out of this situation. The regime is trying to save itself from this impasse by stealing from the PKK or Rêber Apo. Intellectuals and politicians around the world keep declaring that humanity needs Rêber Apo's ideas. Obviously, the forces of destruction that have reached a dead end need these ideas more than anyone else. Although they try to use visits to Rêber Apo as blackmail, they probably need these visits more than anyone else. By stealing Rêber Apo's profound ideas, they want to pull themselves out of the impasse in Iraq and Syria.

In conclusion, I would like to say this: The PKK does not pose a threat or danger anywhere, to any people or democratic force. This is especially true for Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. It is not a threat to societies in these countries. On the contrary, it is a democratic solution force. But the greatest threat and danger is the alliance of AKP, MHP, KDP and ISIS. Everyone should understand this clearly. Apart from the massacres, this alliance resorts to all kinds of lies and deceptions and tries to deceive the people. All peoples and democratic forces must be sensitive and cautious in this regard. They must succeed in nullifying all kinds of lies and tricks.

Source: Yeni Özgür Politika