In a special program broadcast on Sterk TV, Sozdar Avesta, member of the Presidential Council of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union), made evaluations on the struggle of the Kurdish people, conditions on İmralı Island and current developments on the occasion of Abdullah Öcalan’s birthday on April 4.

Below is the first part of the comprehensive interview, which highlights the importance of April 4 not only for the Kurdish people but for all those who strive for peace, freedom, and democracy.

April 4th is a day of the people, a day celebrated today by many who stand up for the struggle for peace and freedom. What can they tell us in light of this day? Why is it that this day is of such great importance today, charged with such great symbolism and celebrated with such intensity?

April 4th marks Rêber Apo’s [Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s] 76th birthday. All those whose hearts beat for the struggle for freedom, particularly women and the youth, should consider Rêber Apo’s birthday as their birthday. In this regard, I wish a happy April 4th to Rêber Apo, to all those currently resisting in the prisons and on the mountains, to all mothers of martyrs and all mothers of peace, and, in general, to all the peoples of Kurdistan.

This year’s April 4th coincided with Eid al-Fitr, and on this occasion, I congratulate all our people and Rêber Apo on Eid al-Fitr as well. On April 4, 2009, our people headed to Amara village to celebrate Rêber Apo’s birthday. A huge mass was marching when the Turkish state, military, and police forces suddenly attacked the people. As a result of these attacks, Mustafa Dag and Mahsum Karaoglan lost their lives. I commemorate both comrades, both resisting patriots, with respect and reverence. I respectfully commemorate all the martyrs of freedom as well.

It is necessary to be aware of the meaning behind Rêber Apo’s birthday. Today the celebrations of April 4th have become massive events, and in some places the celebrations even start days before and continue afterwards. Not only in Kurdistan but all over the world, our people and everyone who recognizes Rêber Apo’s ideas and thoughts celebrate this day, recognizing it as their own birthday. This is linked to the reality that Rêber Apo stands for. Rêber Apo does not consider April 4th as just a biological birth. Throughout his 76-year life journey, Rêber Apo has been engaged in a great struggle.

He began to experience his first contradictions in his childhood: the contradiction between men and women, the contradiction between families, and the contradiction between cultures such as Kurdish-Turkish, rich-poor, and landowner-peasant. Rêber Apo began to become aware of social contradictions and searches for alternatives at a very young age. Through these contradictions, he began to search for truth, freedom, democracy, comradeship, equality, love, and affection. Based on this, he has been struggling for 70 years without interruption. As a result of Rêber Apo’s labor, his march for freedom, rights, law, justice, and equality, and his service to society and peoples, everyone today sees April 4 as their own birthday. They see Rêber Apo’s ideas and philosophy as a guide for themselves. They see the solution to existing contradictions in Rêber Apo’s ideas.

Millions of people express their love to him, millions of people pin their hopes on him, millions of people see him as a leader, and millions of women see him as a comrade. In history, it is women whose labor has been usurped the most, who have been oppressed and exploited the most, and Rêber Apo, who became aware of this reality, managed to achieve a breakthrough in resolving the women’s issue. That is why millions of women have gathered around Rêber Apo’s ideas and thoughts. That is why April 4th is the birthday of millions of women. Rêber Apo has achieved something extraordinary – he has managed to live a life in which he never lives a day for himself, for his own interests, but instead dedicates his life entirely to the common good.

The anniversary of the death of Rêber Apo’s mother, Uveysh, on April 11 is also approaching. I commemorate her with respect; on behalf of all women, we are grateful to her for giving us and all humanity a leader like Rêber Apo. Rêber Apo describes his mother as his first teacher, his pioneer, the first person who taught him how to struggle. Rêber Apo once said the following with regard to his mother: “After I went to school and became a civil servant, my mother bought four meters of fabric and hoped that I would turn it into a dress for her. But I didn’t do it. Not because I couldn’t, but because that was not what mothers deserve. Mothers needed a free, equal world; they needed consciousness; they needed to be freed from thousands of years of bondage. For this, we created the free women’s army, we established the free women’s party, we created the free women’s system, and we created the free women’s movement.” Rêber Apo has always managed to take new steps according to the respective phases and needs, and these steps have made him a leader for the whole society. Especially this year we are welcoming April 4th with Rêber Apo’s ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’. Today, there are people everywhere who see April 4th as their own birthday. This is also great happiness. With his philosophy of free life, with his new paradigm, with his labor for the whole society, Rêber has today become a value for humanity, for women and young people. On this occasion, once again, happy April 4th to all women, the youth, and our people.