The Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) published a statement on the occasion of 18 May, the "Day of Martyrs", in which the election results were also addressed in particular. The PKK sees in the elections of 14 May a renewed proof of the fact that the anti-fascist struggle cannot be won through elections alone, stating that fascism must be fought continuously at all levels. The PKK vowed to develop its anti-fascist resistance for a free Kurdistan and democratisation of Turkey at all levels.

The statement by the PKK Executive Committee reads as follows:

"As is known, the Kurdistan Freedom Movement had its first martyr in Antep on 18 May 1977. Our party, the vanguard of freedom, and our freedom resistance have developed in the memory of our first martyr, Haki Karer. Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] referred to comrade Haki Karer as his 'hidden soul'. The loyalty to the memory of our comrade Haki Karer brought further resistance and new martyrs with it. On 19 May 1978, our comrade Halil Çavgun fell in Hilvan. On the evening of 17 May 1982, the group of four lit up the dungeon of Diyarbakır with their resistance action. On 16 May 1997, around 70 of our comrades were massacred in Hewlêr due to the betrayal of the KDP. We have dozens of martyrs for every day in May. Therefore, the month of May became the 'Month of the Martyrs of Kurdistan' and the 18th of May became the 'Day of the Martyrs of Kurdistan'.

"WITH LOVE, RESPECT AND GRATITUDE ..."

Now, as the Kurdistan Freedom Movement and the Kurdish people, we are experiencing a new month of martyrs and a new day of martyrs on 18 May. On the occasion of the 46th anniversary of his death, we commemorate the great leading revolutionary, Haki Karer, with deep respect, love and gratitude. Through Haki Kerer, we remember with gratitude all the fallen heroes of our 50-year freedom march. We reaffirm our pledge to achieve the goals of the martyrs and keep their memory alive. We salute Leader Apo, who defines himself as the 'spokesperson of the martyrs’, and his historic Imrali resistance. In the 47th year of the struggle, we declare that we will resist and surely win on the line of the Leader and the martyrs.

"TO COMMEMORATE IN THE RIGHT WAY"

As is well known, the revolutionary movement in Turkey also suffered losses in May. On 6 May 1972, Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin Inan were executed in Ankara. On 18 May 1973, Ibrahim Kaypakkaya was murdered by torture at Diyarbakır Police Station. At the end of May, Sinan Cemgil and his companions were martyred fighting in Nurhak. On the 50th anniversary of their martyrdom, we remember with respect and gratitude the great revolutionaries Ibrahim Kaypakkaya and Sinan Cemgil and all the heroic martyrs of the struggle for socialism and democracy in Turkey. In order to preserve this memory, Leader Apo has taken up the freedom struggle and continued the revolutionary resistance until today. On this line, the resistance will continue.

“THE LINE OF VICTORY IS DETERMINED BY THE BRAVE MARTYRS”

It is obvious that the nobility of a cause is made clear by the martyrs who have given their lives for that cause. The martyrs are witnesses and evidence of the importance of a cause and a pledge of certain victory. All gains have been and will be won by fighting in the line of the martyrs and under the leadership of the martyrs. The Kurdistan Freedom Movement is such a historic movement. The freedom struggle of Kurdistan is such a noble cause. This freedom movement owes its greatness and irreversibility to the tens of thousands of martyrs, starting from comrade Haki Karer to the heroic martyrs in the resistance of Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna today. The line of victory is determined by the brave martyrs who gave their lives without hesitation against the fascist and genocidal enemy.

"THEY ARE THE BASIC SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH"

Our martyrs are the fundamental force that educates, organises, unites and moves us forward as a movement and a people. They are our past, present and future. They are always and everywhere the basic source of our strength. They are always the leading commanders of our freedom struggle. It is absolutely clear that in the last 50 years in Kurdistan we have won everything in our freedom struggle on the basis of the courage and sacrifices of our martyrs. Because we follow the line of the martyrs in the right way, we have always been successful. That is why we have continued to develop along this line, questioning, correcting and renewing ourselves. By developing the party and militancy in the right way, we have taken the road to victory.

"THE STRUGGLE CANNOT BE WON THROUGH ELECTIONS ALONE"

Without a doubt, this will always continue. As a movement and a people, we will continue to educate and equip ourselves along the lines of the Leader and the martyrs. Fighting against the enemy on this basis, we will achieve new and even greater successes. The murderous colonial fascism leaves us no other choice anyway. The results of the 14 May elections are a call for us to develop a continuous and much more effective struggle against the fascist mentality and politics. The results show that the anti-fascist struggle cannot be won through elections alone, but only through continuous struggle by all means, at all levels. We will act accordingly and develop the anti-fascist resistance even more to break the isolation and ensure the physical freedom of Leader Apo, a free Kurdistan and democratisation of Turkey in all fields.

"MORE EFFECTIVE AND VERSATILE STRUGGLE"

In this sense, we as Kurdish people and its friends are celebrating another month and day of the martyrs. The conditions demand from us a more effective and versatile struggle against the fascist-genocidal mentality and politics. In order to be successful in such a struggle, we need to understand the reality of the Leader and the martyrs better than ever before and successfully implement it. We need to educate ourselves even further along the lines of the Leader and the Martyrs and organise ourselves better.

On this basis, we call upon our comrades in the party, the patriotic people and their democratic friends to be more self-critical and to renew themselves on the line of the Leader and the Martyrs, to better understand the reality of the martyrs, starting from comrade Haki Karer to the companions Gulçiya, Hêjar and Dilxwa, to organise events in memory and understanding of our martyrs throughout the month of May, to cisit the graveyards of the martyrs to understand the reality of the martyrs, to always follow the line of the martyrs, to defeat the fascist-genocidal enemy and to build a free life based on women's freedom in a free Kurdistan!"