The 12th Extraordinary Congress of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), held simultaneously in two different regions within the Medya Defense Zones from May 5 to 7, concluded with significant decisions. Cemal Amed, one of the delegates who attended the congress, emphasized that the decisions marked the beginning of a new era for the PKK.

Cemal Amed stated that the congress was not only a closure but also a transition to a new stage in the 52-year legacy of struggle. Amed said: “As Abdullah Öcalan himself stated, the more deeply we discuss and understand the process, the more powerfully we can advance it. This is both an end and a new beginning.”

Cemal Amed stated that the success of the new phase depends on how accurately it connects with the past. He said, “We are leaving behind 52 years of struggle and entering a new phase. Understanding this transition correctly and developing an organizational approach that aligns with it is our most fundamental responsibility.”

Cemal Amed highlighted that the struggle led by the PKK enabled the Kurdish people to gain identity and existence, and said: “This struggle, which began in 1978, allowed us to exist as a people. Mr. Öcalan now seeks to elevate this historic process by protecting and advancing the democratic existence of the Kurdish people.”

Amed stated that the main objective of the new period is to connect the Kurdish revolution with the peoples of the Middle East and transform it into a broader struggle for freedom. He said, “This congress has initiated a historic process that aims not only at the freedom of the Kurdish people but also at the freedom of the Middle East and all humanity.”

As significant as the PKK’s 1st Congress

Cemal Amed concluded his remarks with the following: “This congress is as historically significant and meaningful as the PKK’s 1st Congress, as it not only brings to a close the 52-year-long PKK-style struggle but also marks the beginning of a new phase of resistance.

With this congress, I believe that Mr. Öcalan has entrusted us with the responsibility of transforming the 52-year struggle led by the PKK in Kurdistan into a global women's revolution, led particularly by women across the region. Mr. Öcalan defined the 21st century as ‘the century of women.’ From this perspective, we believe that the women’s revolution will also become a revolution of humanity.

With the PKK, we have reached a certain point toward this goal. But from now on, we will move forward with different methods, tools, and forms of struggle. We are setting the women’s revolution and the world revolution before us as our primary objective.

This clearly shows that this congress places great responsibility and duty upon all of us. I once again send my greetings and respect to Mr. Öcalan, who has presented us with such a vast, human-centered revolution as our goal. Drawing strength from this historical legacy, I reaffirm my belief that the Kurdish freedom movement will achieve both a regional and a global revolution.”