KCK Executive Council member Sabri Ok spoke to Stêrk TV about this year's huge Newroz celebrations, Abdullah Öcalan's calls and the need for everyone to force the Turkish state to take steps. 

Here is the first part of the interview. 

As was reflected in the pictures that were spread in the media, there were very well-attended celebrations for Newroz this year. How did you perceive this? What kind of spirit, what kind of message, did you find in the way the Kurdish people and their international friends celebrated?

This year’s Newroz was indeed unique and special. But before getting into it, I would like to salute Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] at this year’s Newroz and convey to him my respect and greetings. I also gratefully commemorate all the martyrs of Newroz and the revolution by remembering our immortal martyrs, Mazlum Dogan, Zekiye, Berivan, Rahshan, and Ronahi. I respectfully bow to their memories. Once again, I congratulate our people and international friends on this year’s Newroz.

For the first time in 50 years, Newroz was celebrated with such great excitement and enthusiasm in all four parts of Kurdistan and abroad. It was celebrated by the masses taking to the square from Japan to everywhere in the world where Kurds live. Of course, there are reasons for this. Newroz has always been a very special day for the Kurdish people, a day of resistance and rebellion. But the unique moment of this year’s Newroz was, as everyone knows, gained through Rêber Apo’s ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’. This call has created a unique excitement among the Kurdish people. The messages our people gave at this year’s Newroz are important. First and foremost, Rêber Apo’s call, which basically is a manifesto, was welcomed and embraced. Our people highlighted that the manifesto developed by Rêber Apo is essential for them and that they will support it in every way. The Kurdish people are aware that since the founding of the freedom movement, Rêber Apo has been fighting for Kurds, for oppressed peoples, and for all humanity, particularly women. The manifesto of Rêber Apo is again based on this, and that is why our people endorsed their embrace of it so strongly at all the Newroz celebrations.

There were those who did not expect such a massive uprising of tens of millions of Kurds and their international friends and who did not foresee such support for Rêber Apo’s manifesto. It was also they who argued that Rêber Apo’s manifesto was not in line with the interests of the Kurdish people, but our people know, understand, and believe in Rêber Apo. And they gave their clear answer at Newroz by gathering in such masses and by endorsing their support for the manifesto.

So, the first and most crucial message that the people sent from this year’s Newroz was one of support for Rêber Apo’s manifesto. This is a very decisive message in such a critical period. The second message from our people to both friend and foe, was that they are still committed to their own achievements and values, that they are still determined in their struggle for their own existence and for free life, and that they are prepared to give everything and pay any price for this. The people have once again underlined this stance, and this is also of immense importance right now.

The third message our people sent was to the Turkish state. The Turkish state tried to influence the Kurdish people through defamatory propaganda, tried to create different agendas, tried to stage that there were problems between our movement, Rêber Apo, and the people, tried to present itself as very successful, and tried to show the Kurdish people as helpless, without will, without struggle. Against these efforts of the Turkish state, our people embraced the manifesto of Rêber Apo with a strong will and great enthusiasm. The propaganda of the Turkish state against our movement, Rêber Apo, and our people was ineffective, and it will not achieve results. The Turkish state must realize that we are committed to our values, that we are ready for a solution, but we will never submit. If the Turkish state does not open its eyes to this reality, it cannot solve its very own problems. This is the attitude of the Kurdish people. This message from our people to the Turkish state was important.

Maybe not for the first time, but for the first time to such an extent, our people celebrated Newroz with a national spirit in the four parts of Kurdistan, Europe, and many other parts of the world. This is of great significance. We have expressed it many times, and Rêber Apo has also emphasized the importance of national unity many times and has done great labor for it. The dream of the Kurdish people is to achieve national unity. This Newroz, all Kurds participated with all their colors, expressing their will and living great enthusiasm. All Kurdish parties, organizations, politicians, intellectuals, and academics must understand and embrace this message given by the Kurdish people. Everyone must take responsibility, fulfill their duties, and respond to the demands of the Kurdish people so that national unity can be established.

It was also of high value that women and young people were again at the vanguard of this year’s Newroz. Especially after the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, with the synergy, morale, and excitement of the manifesto developed by Rêber Apo, Newroz was celebrated more strongly everywhere this year.

The ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ by peoples leader Abdullah Öcalan mentioned by you was announced on 27 February, and only a few days later the PKK expressed its support for the call. Since then, more than a month has passed without the Turkish government taking a single step. How do you assess this and what will be the consequences if this continues?

On 27 February, Rêber Apo made a call that concerns our people, the peoples of Turkey, the Turkish state, and international politics. The PKK attached great importance to Rêber Apo’s call. Without wasting time, it held meetings, held discussions, and expressed its stance. It declared that the PKK is together with Rêber Apo, that this manifesto is valid for them, that they are committed to the decisions made by Rêber Apo, and that they will fulfill them. The PKK made its position clear to the public. In this course, it declared a unilateral ceasefire on 1 March. The PKK’s declaration of a unilateral ceasefire despite such a critical process showed how serious the PKK is on this issue. It took responsibility to fulfill Rêber Apo’s call. Naturally, the Turkish state should have taken a positive stance as well and should have taken a positive step. That was the purpose of the ceasefire anyway. Firstly, to show how serious the PKK is about this issue, and secondly, to stop the war and declare a ceasefire. In other words, giving everyone the chance to think, focus, discuss, prepare, take the necessary steps, make plans, and create the basis, ground, and psychology for the process to develop. This is why the PKK’s step was important. Against this, the Turkish state neither made a positive statement nor took a positive practical step. They acted as if they had never spoken to Rêber Apo, as if they were not aware of the call made by Rêber Apo, as if they were not involved in this work, as if the PKK had not declared a ceasefire. There was no change in their rhetoric, their statements, or their practices. They broke any hope or did not create any hope because there is nothing. Recently the HPG press made a statement; in the month from 1 March, the Turkish state has carried out more than 9,000 attacks despite the PKK’s declaration of a ceasefire.

It cannot be possible that, on the one hand, there is talk of a process and a ceasefire, while, on the other hand, attacks continue uninterrupted and the war goes on as if nothing has changed. That says a lot about how seriously the issue is being taken. That process did not start only with Rêber Apo. Everyone knows that there have been important developments in the Middle East. The Turkish state has evaluated these developments, and from [AKP president] Bahçeli to others, have made statements saying that they need to strengthen the inner front, that there is danger on their borders, and that the recent conflicts will affect Turkey as well. There is such a fear in the Turkish state. Also, the Turkish state did not succeed against the PKK. They used all their means and relations, both domestically and internationally. They used the most advanced technology, they had the support of NATO, they had the political support of America and Europe, but whatever they did, they could not get results. They realized that they had reached a dead end, that they could not break the will of the PKK, that they could not solve the Kurdish question by force, and they felt the need to pave the way for an initiative. So, Bahceli stated that Rêber Apo should come and speak in parliament.

Since 1993, Rêber Apo has been struggling for a political and democratic solution to the Kurdish question. On this basis, Rêber Apo developed this call, which, like I pointed out before, is a manifesto, after holding talks and discussions with state officials. But now we see that the Turkish state insists on its policy, as if there is no such thing. There is no serious approach. They all ask why the PKK hasn’t laid down arms, why it hasn’t convened its congress. Is it so easy to convene a congress and lay down arms? Our comrades have expressed many times that the congress cannot convene without Rêber Apo, that no one can decide to dissolve the PKK other than Rêber Apo, and that no one but him can tell the guerrilla who swore an oath in the name of Rêber Apo to lay down arms. The Turkish state is very well aware of this. If they want these things done, they know what they have to do. The PKK has openly and honestly shared with the public what it considers is reasonable and necessary in this regard. Rêber Apo must be free and be enabled to carry out his work freely.

It is not like the Turkish state have said no to this issue, but a month has passed, and as far as we are aware, there has been no change in the conditions under which Rêber Apo lives. How do the Kurdish people, the PKK, understand this? They claimed that they would make changes regarding Rêber Apo’s situation, that legal and legislative changes would be made, and that a commission would be established in parliament. For this, the Imrali delegation held talks with many parties and set the agenda. As if none of this happened, a month has passed. Rêber Apo has published a manifesto, and the Turkish state has not done a single thing, neither saying anything positive nor demonstrating a positive practice. They only say that the PKK should convene a congress and lay down arms.

Most recently, the current vice president of Turkey, Cevdet Yilmaz, was on a TV channel, and they asked him if the Imrali delegation will go once again. His answer was that the delegation would not go there again, as they had already conveyed the necessary messages. Is this really the level at which they want to approach? Is this their level of seriousness? Is this the way to communicate with Rêber Apo? Do they seriously think that the whole thing can be settled unilaterally with just one call? There can be no such thing. They lack seriousness and sincerity. They themselves were saying that a 100-year-old problem will be solved, that Rêber Apo assumed a great responsibility, but now they say that the delegation has been there once or twice and now everything has to end. They are not serious. Again, the Minister of Justice said that they are evaluating Rêber Apo’s application for a family visit. Where is the seriousness in this? A family visit is the right of all prisoners; there is nothing to evaluate.

How could it come to this point? Instead of the delegation going to Rêber Apo, instead of Rêber Apo gaining his freedom, being able to communicate freely with everyone, keeping in direct contact with the PKK, convening and holding the congress, working freely, and discussing and developing perspectives, the state is now developing such an approach. Even if one puts all this aside, they say, “Hold your congress”. How is that supposed to work? Who are they kidding? How can they be so lacking in seriousness? They wage war and launch 9,000 attacks in less than 30 days and say, “Hold your congress” under those conditions. What they are basically saying is, “Give up and surrender”. And that’s nothing new. It’s exactly what they’ve been saying for 40 years and what has been unsuccessful for 40 years.

Rêber Apo took upon his shoulders a historical responsibility, not only towards the Kurdish people but also towards Turkish society. The bill for the Kurdish question is very heavy; hunger, unemployment, misery, collapsing economy, and blocked politics. Turkey’s reputation is gone since they mobilized everything for war. Rêber Apo wanted to put an end to this. Rêber Apo’s paradigm is the paradigm of democratic society and the democratic nation. If Turkey is not becoming democratic, if the Kurdish question is not solved, neither the Kurds nor the Turks will ever be comfortable. The problems will only continue to grow many times more. This is what is happening right now.

Everyone can see that Turkey’s attitude in this process is not positive; they are repeating themselves. They are not fooling our movement or the PKK; they are fooling themselves. For them, the psychology of hostility is still the focus, and they try to stage themselves as the dominant force. But the Kurdish people are a political people; they are a people of struggle. They have paid a high price; they are well aware of what is truly happening. If such a process develops and is successful, they will struggle. Rêber Apo pointed out that the more the paradigm is understood and the more it is put into practice, the stronger one will be and the more results one will get. In other words, what is important is that all our people and all democratic forces should struggle. They should not just wonder why the Turkish state has not taken a step; they should put pressure on the Turkish state with their struggle so that the state is forced to take steps. The people must find that power and solution in themselves and develop their struggle.

The physical freedom of Rêber Apo is our main agenda. The global campaign for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo has reached a high level, and it must be continued uninterruptedly like this everywhere. When Rêber Apo developed his manifesto, not only the Kurdish people and their international friends but also many international powers appreciated this call. The UN, the EU, many European states, the US, many civil organizations, civil institutions, and individuals have expressed that they all see the call positively. Keeping this in mind, it is necessary to organize the global campaign for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo better, to make better use of the opportunities created, and to develop the campaign uninterruptedly.