In the second part of this interview, PKK Executive Committee member Duran Kalkan said that "the Kurdish people have suffered the greatest injustice in history. The attack on Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] was the greatest injustice, the greatest oppression, and the greatest torture."

The first part of this interview can be read here

With the global freedom campaign reaching its first anniversary, the 26th anniversary of the beginning of the international conspiracy is obviously also approaching. It may have been discussed before, but once again and particularly regarding the developments over the last months; to which extent would you say has the conspiracy really been understood? And in the same context, what level has the 26 years of struggle against it brought about?

The international conspiracy took its beginning on October 9, 1998, when Rêber Apo was forced out of Syria. It is known who planned, decided, organized, and implemented the conspiracy. There is no ambiguity or uncertainty in this regard. Almost everything is in fact clear, open, and distinct. But indeed, it is necessary to dwell on the situation and attitude of 26 years. It is more than a quarter of a century. A very important time. We need to look back at these 26 years and look at the process that paved the way for the conspiracy. That means that we need to look at twenty-six years, thirty years, or maybe even thirty-five years. What happened during this period? What is the connection between the developments that we call the attack of the international conspiracy, which aims at the destruction of Rêber Apo? We also define this process as the process of the Third World War. In fact, the Third World War started in the early ’90s, preparing the ground for the conspiracy. After that, the forces waging the Third World War became involved in the conspiracy attack in order to succeed in their own goals and to make their interests dominant. They did this regardless if they contradicted each other, or if they contradicted each other. The rulers were united with the opposition in this attack. Now when we look back at this process, what do we see? What was the attack aimed at? It was aimed at the destruction of Rêber Apo. They failed, and so they put him in Imrali, in the system of torture, isolation, and genocide. If they had succeeded, they would have wanted to exterminate him.

Why did they attack Rêber Apo? Why did they want to destroy him? If there had not been the international conspiracy, if Rêber Apo had struggled freely for the past 20 years, if he had led the freedom struggle of Kurdistan, if he had led the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom, if he had educated the youth and women, what would have been the result? This is what we need to question. What did Rêber Apo want? In the early ’90s, a new process began. Serhildans developed in northern Kurdistan. And with the Gulf War, political scope emerged in southern Kurdistan. Rêber Apo wanted unity in both parts. He wanted Kurdish freedom to develop. What would have happened if, on this basis, Rêber Apo had found the opportunity to carry out and realize these goals, his decisions, and his understanding? Kurdish freedom would have developed. Based on this, democratization would have developed in Turkey, democratization would have developed in Iraq, democratization would have developed in Syria and Iran, and democratization would have developed in the Middle East. A free Kurdistan resembles a democratic Middle East. What would a democratic Middle East mean? There would be unity, brotherhood, solidarity, and communal life. What would not have happened!

And now let’s take a look at all the blood that has been shed for the past 26 to 30 years. Let’s look at the atrocities and massacres. The Middle East has turned into a bloodbath. Kurdistan has turned into a bloodbath. The international conspiracy is the main reason for this bloodbath. The conspiracy means massacres. In fact, the free struggle of Rêber Apo would mean the prevention and elimination of all this and the development of free life, democratic administration, democratic confederal unity, and the unity of peoples against all this. How good this would be for humanity! Not only for the Kurds, not even for the peoples of the region. In fact, a democratized Middle East would have made a great contribution to humanity and its free and democratic march. All this was prevented. The conspiracy needs to be understood like this. Yes, the conspiracy was a heavy attack to realize the Kurdish genocide, to prevent Kurdish freedom, to destroy and liquidate the Kurdish people’s will for freedom. It was an unjust, very unjust, the most unjust attack in the history of humanity. But it did not only happen to Kurds.

Rêber Apo evaluated the Turkish dimension of this conspiracy. Did Turkey gain or lose? Tayyip Erdogan came to power in this process, and Devlet Bahceli became the government twice. They have lined their pockets, stolen from the country, and enriched themselves. They personally benefited from the conspiracy, but what happened to Turkey? Has Turkey developed or regressed? On the other hand, let’s look at the situation in the Middle East. It is inextricably linked to the conspiracy. The conspiracy was not only against Kurdish freedom; it was also against a democratic Turkey, against the democratic Middle East, and against humanity’s life of freedom. It was also against the women’s freedom struggle, against the development of women’s will for freedom, and the revolution for freedom. It emerged and developed as an attack against all these. It was launched by the United States, Britain, and Israel, while all the European states and Russia participated. They included everyone they needed; they made them partners. Some by force, some for profit. Everyone was involved in this crime. Now what is the outcome? The result is obvious.

One really needs to understand these policies correctly and needs to evaluate them well in order to know how to develop a correct political attitude. But also those responsible for these policies must get it right. If they are really in favor of humanity, democracy, and human rights, as they claim all the time, they must admit that they have committed massive injustice and cruelty. They have been responsible for countless massacres and bloodshed. They should question themselves and give up on this.

Whenever we evaluate this issue and voice our criticisms, these forces try to wriggle out of it. They tell us that we should not name them as responsible for this, and they do not want us to talk about it as a conspiracy. So what do they want us to say? Do they really want us to simply ignore it? The conspiracy is still going on. For now, more than 43 months, there is no information from Rêber Apo. There is no law, no justice, and no human consciousness in the system of Imrali. They committed a crime by establishing the Imrali system, and they have to solve it. We will not simply pass over this. If we just continue, we could not build anything new on these mistakes and crimes. We couldn’t build righteousness or achieve success. Success is not born from error. Righteousness does not develop from wrong. This needs to be solved. Those who are responsible need to be solvent. They must question themselves and give self-criticism.

The Kurdish people have suffered the greatest injustice in history. The attack on Rêber Apo was the greatest injustice, the greatest oppression, and the greatest torture. But it didn’t only aim for Rêber Apo; it was an attack aimed at the entire Kurdish people. Aimed at the women, the youth, the peoples of the Middle East, the peoples of Turkey, and humanity. Kurdish youth, children, and women have been persecuted so much and subjected to so much oppression, torture, and special war practices. They have experienced so many massacres. Those responsible for this are the US government. Back then, the Democrats were in power, and today again they are in power. Today in the UK, the Labour Party is in power again. We have pointed this out many times before. These powers must admit the injustice they have done and have to make amends. They owe the Kurdish people. They have a responsibility to eliminate the oppression they have inflicted on the Kurdish people for 26 years, let alone before that. We invite them to approach this way. They need to look at the past. They need to look at what Rêber Apo wanted to do. What have they caused by preventing him? Did they do good?

Did they produce a solution in Kurdistan? Did they produce a solution in the Middle East? They developed insolvency. Rêber Apo was the solution power, and they prevented the power of solution. They became responsible for so much bloodshed, massacres, and torture. On the occasion of the anniversary of the conspiracy, I want to remind all the relevant forces of what has happened. We invite them to give up what they have done, to correct it, and to apologize for the oppression and torture they have inflicted on the Kurds.

On the other hand, lays the mentioned very significant 26-year struggle against the conspiracy. They wanted to destroy Rêber Apo. The October 9th conspiracy was an extermination attack. But it was rendered unsuccessful. Again, the February 15th conspiracy was an extermination attack. They wanted to execute him. That is why they kidnapped Rêber Apo from Kenya and delivered him to Turkey in an illegal and immoral manner. This was thwarted by the struggle. In the Imrali system of torture and isolation, they wanted to make Rêber Apo rot; they wanted to make him unable to think, unable to be productive, and therefore unable to be a political power. In these 26 years, the greatest struggle in history was waged against the conspiracy. If it was the heaviest, most unjust, and most immoral attack in human history, at the same time, the 26-year struggle against the conspiracy is the most meaningful, most libertarian, and most democratic resistance and struggle in history. Rêber Apo led this struggle first and foremost.

The entire Kurdish people and all our international friends gave their support. Everyone participated in this struggle and has a share in it. The struggle repeatedly defeated attacks that took place in the framework of the conspiracy; it made it fail. It frustrated many of their plans. While they wanted to make Rêber Apo incapable of thinking and producing new thoughts within the Imrali torture and isolation system, Rêber Apo became a force of thought that showed the way to liberation of all the oppressed, especially women. He became a global leader. He became the one who best understood and defined the universe. They wanted to suffocate and silence Rêber Apo in the torture and isolation system in Imrali. But now, Rêber Apo is all over the world. As he said, “Wherever my prison writings are, there I am.” The prison writings are now all over the world. Young people, women, workers, and laborers all have the books in their hands. That is why today Rêber Apo is everywhere, with everyone. The Imrali system of torture, isolation, and genocide has been repeatedly riddled and shattered by Rêber Apo. I have repeated all this to underline that struggle brings success. This is the most fundamental lesson we can learn from 26 years of struggle against the international conspiracy. If you struggle, you win. He struggles; that is why Rêber Apo is winning.

Following Rêber Apo’s struggle, the Kurdish people, the Kurdish freedom forces, and the Kurdish guerrillas fight and win. Therefore, it is wrong to say that the Imrali torture and isolation system and the genocide system cannot be broken, defeated, or overcome. Victory is closer than ever. With an effective struggle, in these coming weeks, months, and days we can indeed bring about the most important libertarian and democratic developments in history. Let’s believe in this, let’s trust in ourselves, and let’s carry out our struggle against the international conspiracy in the 27th year on the line of victory, and let’s ensure the physical freedom of Rêber Apo by shattering the international conspiracy and the Imrali torture, isolation, and genocide system that tries to maintain it.