Filiz Budak, co-chair of the Maxmur People’s Assembly, told ANF: "As Comrade Cuma [Cemil Bayık] said, ‘If I were to come into this world again, I would once again take President Öcalan as my guide.’ We say the same. Whoever holds this idea and speaks these words, we follow in their footsteps. We have full trust in President Öcalan and in our organization. We stand firmly behind these steps until the very end."

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced the results of its 12th Congress. In its statement, it was declared that the PKK’s organizational structure has been dissolved, and all activities carried out under the PKK name have ended. The congress also announced the martyrdom of leading commanders Ali Haydar Kaytan and Riza Altun.

Comrades of President Öcalan

Filiz Budak commemorated the fallen commanders Ali Haydar Kaytan and Riza Altun with the following words: "Martyrs Ali Haydar Kaytan and Riza Altun were founders of the PKK and pioneers of our movement. Their martyrdom has deeply affected us. We remember them along with all PKK martyrs. They lit our path and became the guiding light of our struggle for freedom. Both of them were among President Öcalan’s first comrades. We promise to follow their path and to realize their dreams.

This struggle for freedom is not only for the Kurdish people, but for all oppressed peoples. Figures like Ali Haydar Kaytan and Riza Altun fought and paid the price for the freedom of all societies. They gave rise to the free Kurdish identity. As a society, we are grateful to them. We must prove ourselves worthy of their legacy."

We salute the PKK Congress

Filiz Budak also spoke about the PKK Congress, saying that the people of Maxmur saluted the congress and view all of its decisions as historically significant: "The decisions made at this congress are, for us, a manifesto. They are decisions that open the path toward a peaceful and democratic social life. Tens of thousands have paid the price for this cause, and immense labor has been devoted to it.

The PKK, through its ideology of women’s freedom, and with the women’s army, women’s organizations, and women’s parties, has made women visible. Women became a force. The PKK saved the Kurdish people from denial and annihilation.

The congress concluded that the period of armed struggle had come to an end and that a new phase must begin. As Comrade Cuma said: ‘If I were to come into this world again, I would once again take President Öcalan as my guide.’ We say the same. Whoever holds this idea and speaks these words, we follow in their footsteps. We have full faith in President Öcalan and in our organization. We stand firmly behind these steps until the very end."

The stance of the Maxmur people is political

Filiz Budak also shared her views on the future of the Maxmur Refugee Camp and said: "Undoubtedly, these recent developments and decisions will affect the Maxmur Camp as well. The people of Maxmur were forced to migrate in the 1990s due to the oppression and brutality of the Turkish state. They refused to accept the state’s policies of repression and destruction. They became refugees and have been resisting on this land for 30 years. Our villages were burned, our people massacred. We are the living archive of the Kurdish people of the 1990s. The resistance of the people of Maxmur is a political stance. For 30 years, we have waged a great struggle.

Of course, if there is to be a return to the country, the people here have their own conditions and demands. Our primary condition is the physical freedom of President Öcalan. Without this, as the people of Maxmur, we will not return unconditionally or without guarantees. There are many issues the state must clarify. A reckoning, both material and moral, is necessary. We are committed to a cause, and any return will be based on these principles.

This marks the beginning of a process, and we are following it closely. Whatever the decisions President Öcalan and the Freedom Movement require, that is the stance we will take."