In the first part of a conversation, Cemil Bayik, co-chair of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council, talked about the importance of the Kurdish people's leader, Abdullah Öcalan, for the struggle for free coexistence, freedom and democracy not only for the Kurdish people and the Middle East, but also on a global level, and about the corresponding necessity to see the struggle for his freedom as part of a struggle for one's own freedom.

International conspiracy

The international conspiracy targeting Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] is an attack carried out against the Kurdish people, the peoples of the Middle East, and all of humanity. It is about to reach its 26th anniversary and to enter its 27th year. A great persecution was committed against our people, the peoples of the Middle East, and humanity in the person of Rêber Apo. On this occasion, I offer my greetings and respect to Rêber Apo and reiterate our promise to him, who is waging a historic resistance against this conspiracy. The resistance developed through people like Halit Oral against the international conspiracy has determined a new line of resistance. Not only cadres of the party but also the people of Kurdistan took part in it. Today, humanity is taking part in it. This line of resistance is developing and succeeding day by day and continues to this day. Great oppression, persecution, and torture were carried out against our people, the peoples of the Middle East, and humanity through what they have done to Rêber Apo. But with his resistance, Rêber Apo took the values of our people, the peoples of the Middle East, and humanity as a basis for his struggle and became a universal representative of them.

The fact that there was a conspiracy against Rêber Apo, that this conspiracy is still insisted on, and today is continued through a system of absolute isolation and solitary confinement, makes it necessary to understand the reason for it very well. And in order to be able to understand it well, one needs to understand, first of all, the approach of the system of capitalist modernity, of the occupiers, of the nation states, and of the powers. If one does not understand their approach towards the Kurds well, one cannot understand the international conspiracy and the continued isolation. The foundation for this was laid at the Cairo meeting. At the Cairo meeting, a policy regarding the Middle East was determined. The Middle East was fragmented; both the Arabs and the Kurds were fragmented, and through this fragmentation they established the system of capitalist modernity in the region. When they did this fragmentation in the Middle East, they denied the existence of the Kurdish people; they said the Kurdish people no longer existed. They said that there is no place for Kurds in the politics of the Middle East, in the politics of the capitalist modernity system. That is why they took the politics of genocide and extermination as a basis. That is why they excluded Kurds from the system they developed. This means that the Kurds no longer have any rights and laws.

Since then, the politics of genocide have been carried out until today. Like I pointed out, if one does not understand this well, the laws developed against the Kurds cannot be understood. As is known, many laws were enacted; for example, the so-called ‘Eastern Reform Plan’, the ‘Tunceli Law’, the ‘Takrir-i Sukun Law’, and many others related to these were enacted. The aim of all these laws was the elimination of the Kurds. The Turkish state is now again enacting its laws as genocidal laws against the Kurds. There is only one law for the Kurds in Turkey; everyone who comes to power must take the genocide of the Kurds as a basis. Those who are in power must continue the politics of genocide and deliver results. Those who do not take this politics as a basis can never come to or stay in power in this state. If they brought the AKP-MHP to power and kept them in power, it was to complete the Kurdish genocide. The AKP-MHP maintain their power entirely on the basis of the Kurdish genocide.

Turkish state founded on the basis of the politics of genocide

The Turkish state was founded on the basis of the politics of genocide; politics is carried out on this foundation. They consider themselves entitled to everything they do to the Kurds. They commit massacres, ban everything, throw countless Kurds in prisons, kill and torture them there, plunder the Kurdish nature, force the people to migrate from their land; they see it as their right to do all these things. Because they are pursuing a policy of genocide against the Kurds, and they insist on this policy to achieve results. This is the reality of the Turkish state. The Turkish state assessed the development of the international conspiracy as an opportunity for itself. They thought that they could take advantage of this opportunity and could successfully conclude their policy of genocide against the Kurds. And indeed, the international conspiracy helped the Turkish state in every way. Because the system developed by capitalist modernity was based on the genocide and extermination of the Kurds. Since the Turkish state was also pursuing this policy, they helped the Turkish state in every way. They were doing this for their interests.

Imrali is a completely illegitimate system

The Imrali system is a completely illegitimate system. It is a system developed by Gladio. For 26 years, the rule of Gladio has been applied in Imrali. There is no law there, as there are no rights and laws for the Kurdish people. With the Cairo meeting, they deprived the Kurds of their rights and laws. A people whose rights and laws have been usurped, and even those who stand up for that people, who struggle for democracy and freedom for that people, are declared criminals by these forces. That is why they see the struggle waged by Rêber Apo and the PKK against them; they see them as criminals. That is why they are extremely hostile to Rêber Apo and the PKK. That is why they do not recognize any right, law, or justice. Rêber Apo stood against this system regardless of the very difficult conditions and impossibilities in Imrali. In other words, he stood against the Gladio system and developed a historical resistance. He represents and defends Kurdish values as well as human values in general. Rêber Apo managed to turn himself into a power of solution. He did this for the Kurdish people, the people of the Middle East, and humanity.

In order to be able to solve the named problems, Rêber Apo evaluated who initiated the international conspiracy, and who took part in it. He drew conclusions from these evaluations and renewed himself and his philosophy based on them. He revived the Kurdish people in his own person. Therefore, he developed a new paradigm for the Kurdish people and humanity, particularly for women. This is how he raised their hopes. The reason why they insist on the conspiracy and impose isolation is because they are afraid of Rêber Apo. They are afraid of his ideas and speeches. Because he has an impact not only on the politics of Turkey but also on the politics of the Middle East and on a global level. He influences not only the Kurdish people, gives morale and hope, and shows the way to a solution. That is why the conspirators, treasonous Kurds, and the colonizers are afraid of Rêber Apo.

Turkey doesn't accept 'Right to Hope' 

The Turkish state does not accept the so-called ‘Right to Hope’ because it wants to conclude the genocide of the Kurdish people and eliminate everything in the name of Kurdistan. Because, as I said, already at the Cairo meeting, the existence of the Kurdish people was denied, and they were excluded from the new world system. They did not give any rights to the Kurdish people; they said that the Kurdish people had no right to live. They developed their system on this basis. The Turkish state was founded based on this later on in Lausanne. That is why the Turkish state does not accept the Kurds and does not recognize their rights. That is why they do not accept Rêber Apo’s ‘Right to Hope’. The approach to Rêber Apo’s is like litmus paper; it reveals the political stance of everyyone. Rêber Apo’s resistance in Imrali has revealed the reality of all Kurds; it has revealed in every way what the line of betrayal and collaborationism is and what the patriotic and revolutionary stance is. This is, for example, the reason why the reality of the Barzani family clan is so clearly seen by so many Kurds today.

This is a great achievement for the Kurdish people. Because until now the Kurdish people thought that this family was fighting for the Kurds. Now it is visible to everybody that this family is solely running after whatever their interests are. That is why they side with the enemies of the Kurdish people. Rêber Apo did not only reveal the Kurdish traitors but also the reality of those who deceivingly call themselves socialists, democrats, and intellectuals, and those who wrongly claim to struggle for freedom and democracy against fascism and genocide. It was revealed who really upholds these values and who hides under these values. Rêber Apo ensured a correct understanding of patriotism and a revolutionary attitude among the Kurds. Like this, he has also revealed who in the world is a friend and who is a foe of the Kurds. Because Rêber Apo struggled for this all his life. He took it as a basis to expose betrayal and reveal patriotism. In this struggle, both Rêber Apo, the Kurdish people, and the PKK have suffered great pain and paid great prices, but they have also achieved great goals.

Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe's decision arrives late 

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) held a meeting last month. At that meeting, they gave the Turkish state a one-year deadline to change. However, Europe had taken such a decision already in 2014. Also, the court that tried Rêber Apo did not conduct a proper trial; he should be retried. Rêber Apo is currently being tortured in Imrali. All of his rights have been trampled on. But the CoE has not taken any further steps, even though ten years have passed since their last decision. Why didn’t they take any further steps? Why didn’t the CoE stand behind their decision for ten years? Because the Turkish state had taken a decision against Rêber Apo, the PKK, and free Kurds and put that decision into practice. This decision was the ‘çöktürme planı’ (destruction plan).

In other words, it was to eliminate and destroy everything that stood for the Kurdish identity and Kurdistan. It was to completely eliminate Rêber Apo and the PKK. Since they took this decision on this basis, the CoE and the institutions affiliated with them also took this decision of the Turkish state as a basis. They waited for the outcome. They calculated that the Turkish state would liquidate the PKK and genocide the Kurdish people. When this plan was realized, there would be no need to bring up Rêber Apo’s ‘Right to Hope’. That is why they also helped the Turkish state. Both during the conspiracy and afterward, they helped the Turkish state in every sense. Because the Turkish state was accepted in Lausanne through the alliance that was formed there. And this alliance was an alliance formed by those who took part in the Cairo meeting. Those who tore the Middle East to pieces, those who did not give Kurds a place in the Middle East, in the world system, those who denied the existence of the Kurds, those who deprived them of their rights, implemented their decisions in Lausanne. However, when the PKK and its international friends struggled, Europe’s expectations from the Turkish state were not realized. The liquidation of the PKK and the genocide of the Kurdish people was not completed; they were stuck, and so they had to discuss their decision once again.

The fact that they now gave the Turkish state a one-year deadline was at the request of the Turkish state. The Turkish state tells everyone that it has taken so many steps against the PKK, against the struggle developed by Rêber Apo, and that it always promises that it will bring the liquidation and genocide to a conclusion. That’s why they asked for one more year. That is why the CoE gave the Turkish state this one more year. This means that they receive the allowance to continue torturing Rêber Apo to eliminate the PKK and liquidate the Kurds. Their decision serves this. So Europe stands by its original decision. The decision that the Turkish state imposes on Rêber Apo, the PKK, and the Kurds is the decision taken at the Cairo meeting. On this basis, the Turkish state is conducting a policy of genocide and liquidation. The Turkish state is not only subjecting Kurds to genocide. There were so many peoples of different nations, beliefs, and cultures in Turkey, and they were all subjected to genocide. Only the Kurds as a big nation are left, and they want to eliminate the Kurds as well. They are using all the means available in Turkey for this purpose.

Today Rêber Apo is defending the values of humanity

Many struggles for democracy and freedom have developed in European history. Many achievements emerged as a result of these struggles. And now, Europe is trampling on these achievements and its own values. The peoples of Europe must see this and not accept it. They must stand against it and must protect their achievements and values. Europe is moving away from its values, trampling them underfoot. This is why fascist movements are growing in Europe. Because if one leaves law, justice, democracy, and freedom aside, fascism develops. That is why the peoples of Europe who stand against fascism, who stand against injustice and oppression, who fight for democracy, freedom, socialism, and justice need to see this.

Just as the capitalist modernity system stands against humanity, human values, democracy, freedom, justice and equality through the person of Rêber Apo, the struggle for those values must be increased all over the world. If the representatives of the system of capitalist modernity in the world, the powers within that system, stand against the peoples, against women, youth, workers, peasants, democratic forces, and trample on the values they have achieved through years of struggle, these forces should not just stand by and watch this. They should stand against this and defend their values and their future. Today Rêber Apo is defending the values of humanity, democracy, socialism and freedom. These forces must also stand up for Rêber Apo. Stand against the conspiracy, isolation and raise the struggle for democracy and freedom. The struggle for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo must be increased.