At the PKK’s 12th Congress held in the Medya Defense Zones, the delegates pledged to preserve all the values established by the PKK during a collective oath-taking ceremony.
Following Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s ‘Call for Peace and a Democratic Society’ announced on February 27, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) held an extraordinary congress between May 5 and 7 and decided to dissolve the PKK's organizational structure and end the armed struggle and activities carried out under the name of the PKK.
The Congress began with two minutes of silence in memory of “all the heroic martyrs, who are the guides of our freedom struggle".
The 232 delegates attending the congress held a collective oath-taking ceremony in accordance with the decisions taken. The delegates' pledge for the new term is as follows:
"As a socialist, I will live in a democratic society based on the Apoist line. I will fight against the male-dominated civilization and the statist system. I will base myself on a democratic communal system founded on women's freedom. Under all circumstances, I will intensify the struggle for the freedom of the Kurdish people. I will lead the way in building a democratic society. I will uphold democratic socialism and freedom. I will preserve all the values established by the PKK. I will fight for a democratic Middle East and a democratic world. On this basis, I pledge my honor and dignity to Leader Apo, all the martyrs of Kurdistan, our entire people, and humanity.”
Congress delegates celebrated the decisions with the slogans “Bijî Serok Apo” [Long Live Leader Öcalan], “Bi can bi xwîn em bi tera ne ey Serok” [With our lives and our blood, we are with you, our Chairman], “Bê Serok Jiyan Nabe” [No Life Without the Leader], “Jin Jiyan Azadî” [Woman, Life, Freedom] and “Bijî Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan” [Long Live the Kurdistan Workers’ Party].
