Speaking to ANF, guerrillas from the HPG (People's Defense Forces) and YJA Star (Free Women's Troops) stated that imperialist powers failed to accomplish their goals with the February 15 Conspiracy, and said “2017 will be the end of the fascist AKP state and the year of our Leader’s freedom.”

YJA Star guerrilla Canda Çiya: With the conspiracy against our Leader, they tried to eliminate our movement and put our people through genocide. February 15 is a bad day for us. February 15 is also when Sheikh Said rose up. State forces tried to suppress the most recent uprising of Kurdish people through the repetition of history. However, the stance of our Leader and the struggle of our people and movement foiled these plans.

Our only goal is to end the conspiracy in its 18th year and to liberate our Leader. February 15 will always be remembered with the great freedom struggle of the Leader, the militants and the people. It will be a day of resistance; not a day of mourning. Resistance is necessary for this. As the militants of Leader Apo, we will always march forwards and not backtrack on our resistance.

“ALL OUR PEOPLE HAVE RESISTED”

HPG guerrilla Mazlum Zerdeşt: Imperialist powers that are the architects of the international conspiracy wanted to own the aboveground and underground richness of the region with their intervention in the Middle East. The Gulf War took place in early 1990s within this framework. These powers and their collaborators, who wanted to eliminate the PKK that stood against this war, began to target the Leader and the PKK. NATO and other powers gave their full support to the Turkish state in the 1990s for the elimination of the PKK. However, our movement became even stronger after these attacks.

The Leader was targeted in order for the elimination of the PKK movement, and many assassination attempts took place. This continued until the conspiracy against the Leader on February 15, 1999. First, they mentioned the execution of the Leader but this attempt was defeated with the “You cannot darken our Sun” protests and the struggle of our people. As you know, a high ranking US official stated then that they had not expected such a resistance. All of our people put up a resistance with the imprisonment of our Leader.

The Turkish state met with the Leader from time to time. The Leader gave the Turkish state the chance to resolve the Kurdish issue politically and pushed for peace with his many roadmaps. In parallel, our Movement declared several ceasefires. It stopped its actions so that dialogue processes progressed without any clashes. Lastly, a ceasefire began with the initiative of our Leader at the beginning of 2013. The Turkish state wasted the months that gave hope to the peoples living in Turkey. The Turkish state escalated the war with the airstrikes it carried out against our movement on July 24, 2015. They carried out annihilation attacks against our people and Movement. But the self-governance resistance of our people and the guerrilla struggle of our Movement defeated the Turkish state.

2017 will be the year of victory when we will enhance our resistance. It will be the year of our Leader’s and people’s freedom. The Turkish state claims that it will eliminate the PKK in 2017. We say that 2017 will bring the end of the fascist Turkish state. For us, it will be the year of great success.

“WOMEN AND THE YOUTH SHOULD LEAD THIS REVOLUTION”

YJA Star guerrilla Şilan Kobanê: As Kurdish women, we see our freedom tied to the freedom of our Leader. Just like how the Leader says ‘society won’t be free if women are not free,’ we owe everything to our Leader and say that a free life is not possible without our Leader’s freedom. Our Leader revived a people encased in concrete and the existence of women. As the militants of the Leader that created such meaningful concepts, we will continue our struggle until our Leader and people are free, no matter what the cost may be. Women will lead this because the Leader says “Women and the youth are the leaders of this revolution.” We should strengthen the leading role that the Leader gave us and enhance our struggle. For this purpose, we should prepare ourselves better for the upcoming process. Because this year will be the year of our Leader’s freedom. We will be together with our Sun this year.

“THE CONSPIRACY ILLUSTRATES THE STRENGTH OF THE LEADER’S IDEAS”

HPG guerrilla Xoşyar Zagros: Leader Apo is the warrior of truth of the 20th and the 21st centuries. Our evaluations should be based on this foundation.

With his ideas, the Leader became a hope and longing for freedom of Middle Eastern peoples. The Leader foiled the plans of the nation states in the Middle East and the capitalist-imperialist powers in the region. These forces, who are afraid of the reflection of the demand for freedom in Kurdistan on the Middle East, carried out the international conspiracy on February 15, 1999. This conspiracy was different than the previous conspiracies against Kurdish leaders. Tens of countries joined this conspiracy and Turks were the pawns. In world history, conspiracies are used to weaken or destroy a force that is too strong. In fact, this conspiracy illustrates the strength of the Leader’s ideas.

The captivity of the Leader aimed to eliminate the PKK and put Kurdish people through genocide. However, the powers of the conspiracy did not succeed with their plans. Despite the intensified isolation in İmrali prison, the Leader’s resistance and the struggle of our people and movement defeated the conspiracy.

We are in a period where new developments are taking place in Rojava Kurdistan and the Middle East within the framework of our Leader’s ideas and philosophy. The Leader’s ideas systemized themselves in Rojava and transformed into a people’s revolution. The forces involved the conspiracy and their affiliates lost and Leader Apo, Kurdish people, and their allies won here. We are now entering a period where these fascist systems are being destroyed. 2017 will be a year of such developments, and the year of struggle and resistance. For us, the year of freedom for our Leader and people will be the year when Kurdistan revolution achieves victory.