PKK Executive Committee member Duran Kalkan spoke to Ersin Çelik for the show Political Space aired on MED NÛÇE, and made important statements. The third part of the interview has been translated into English below.

Like other political parties, HDP began its rallies. What is your impression of the HDP election campaign and the first urban rallies?

Rallies have begun and the election process is heating up, but the interactions among AKP, CHP and MHP are cyclical and counterproductive. They have nothing to say about the problems whose solutions would save Turkey. They only badmouth one another and give away cheap promises. HDP has a more serious approach to this issue. There is a new type of politics, and we believe that HDP should deepen this new politics. The HDP election campaign receives great attention from the society. Despite the obstacles and pressures in every town across Turkey, there is great movement in Kurdistan. Kurdish towns should be even more election-oriented and lead the success of democratic politics. The political atmosphere is crucial and it should have a more democratic and revolutionary tone.

HDP should clearly articulate itself as the beacon of democracy in Turkey and represent the slogans of “Free life and democratic system!”, “Democratic Turkey, democratic republic!” and “Democratic and sisterly union!” more fervently than ever. The campaign should embrace not only a few individuals but also people from different groups and backgrounds. Some of the current parliamentarians, mayors and party organs will not be candidates in the upcoming election, they should continue working hard for the election as if they were candidates. I am calling on everyone in such a position: It would have been nice to be on the list of candidates, maybe that will happen in future elections. What is important is to continue working passionately. Turkish revolutionaries such as Deniz, Mahir and Ibrahim began this resistance, and Kurds have furthered it until today.

Now, all peoples in Turkey should unite and bring about a democratic revolution on June 7, 2015. As we have previously discussed, the election campaign in Europe is growing passionately. Voting in Europe has begun, and every vote has critical importance. What are your thoughts and impressions on this issue?

People in Europe have historically contributed to our cause and even led it. They supported the guerilla resistance and furthered our struggle for freedom. The conscience of freedom, organization and action in Europe was carried over to Northern Kurdistan and Turkey. Leader Apo has always been grateful for the struggle of Kurdish people and democracy forces in Europe due to their value, support and leadership. Now we witness a similar scenario today. They work towards the elections and I call on every patriot and democrat to join this effort. Even a single vote matters, everyone should vote. Every patriot and democrat should convince one friend to vote for the HDP for the first time in order to increase our votes. Kurds and democratic forces in Europe have always had a prominent role and this will help bring results in the elections. I am confident in their future success and I repeat my call and wish for success.

Before we move on, there is one last issue about election discourses. AKP has been using religion during its rallies as part of its smear campaign against HDP. What are your thoughts?

Actually nobody should use religion as a political tool, we favor cultural and democratic Islam as put forth by Leader Apo. A Democratic Islam congress was organized recently and we value such efforts. AKP acts as if they represent Islam and nobody else could know the religion as well as it does. However, the AKP’s Islam is the Islam of Muaviye! Ezidis abandoned Islam because of that version of it. We know what Islam is, what Madinah Islam is, how the Prophet fought for freedom and equality, how Islam highlights justice, and how the society is committed to the religion. Who made Islam equivalent to power and the state? This emerged in Damascus and transformed into the war of Baghdad. Mecca/Medinah Islam did not have such things and their Islam was for the society. It was social and cultural, as Islamic scholars explain. AKP uses a cheap election strategy for more votes; they are using Islam as an election tool just like it was used as a political power tool historically. We should be aware of such plots and deceptions.

Another important development took place in the Rojhelat (Eastern) part of Kurdistan. Ferinaz Qosravani resisted the cruel applications of the Iranian state forces in Mahabad. This development soon became an uprising in Mahabad and all across Eastern Kurdistan. As the movement, what is your position on this? Is it possible to describe this event as an isolated act of the Iranian regime?

Iran has been the center of eastern thought, freedom, equality, democracy, sisterhood and solidarity. Therefore it is a social hub, but power structures were imposed upon this society from above soon after Sumerians and Egyptians. The political powers’ attempts to seize and even destroy this social fabric has continued until today but failed to reach its goal. Social, political and moral values are still critically important in Iran. In a way, Iran’s role in the Middle East resembles the role of France in Europe. As the state developed in Europe, the social fabric in France grew and engendered social revolutions. This also happened in Iran.

I have just mentioned the social components of Islam, Iran is conducive to the development of a democratic society that brings together the aspects of eastern thought that emphasize freedom and society with social Islam. Unfortunately however, they created a pro-power and pro-state version of Islam in Iran through the recent formation of the Islamic Republic, despite their pretention to criticize Muaviye’s state-centric Islam. The Islamic Republic may have emerged as a reaction to prior state structures, but grew more and more similar to them over time. They are attacking moral values and people should be critical of these attacks. Kurds are an anti-state group of people and uphold ethical and cultural values. That particular Kurdish woman’s resistance is a noble response as it represents freedom and society. It represents the women’s culture of freedom and ethics that continually resists states’ patriarchal control over women and the deeply engrained culture of sexual assault and rape. There is nothing more natural than the Kurdish people’s rebellious response, they are for democracy and freedom. They defend women’s freedom and oppose sexual assault, rape and violence. This oppression is rooted in the union of capitalist modernity and pro-state power. They have established patriarchal power through the enslavement of women and they try to maintain this power through the massacre of women. Kurdish women’s response to this is resistance and struggle. Kurdish women are the leaders of our struggle for freedom across Kurdistan. This conscience and mobilization was generated by our Leader Apo and has an affect on all women. The women and others in Rojhelat are resisting the rapist culture of state power, we hail their noble efforts, and wish them success.

‘IF IRAN PRESSES THE SOCIETY MORE, DANGEROUS DEVELOPMENTS WILL FOLLOW’

Nobody should be silent against rape, sexual violence and massacres targeting women, we should object wherever we are and defend women’s freedom as the basis of social freedom. The Iranian state should refrain from exerting more pressure and violence, as this may lead to danger.

I say this as a warning, the state should be sensitive and responsive to the social demands of Kurdish women in particular. The Iranian state may be corrupt and oppressive, but the society is conducive to this and can get rid of patriarchal state violence. We call on the Iranian state to change its policies and adopt democratic political methods to address social issue. We hail the efforts of the Kurdish people in Iran.