The Education Committee of Koma Civakên Kürdistan (Kurdistan Communities Union - KCK) issued a written statement to mark 15 May, Kurdish Language Day.

The statement said: "Over the course of the last century, the Kurdish people have been subjected to a major genocide, both physically and on a cultural level, particularly targeting their mother tongue. When the system of nation states was implemented in the region, it was based on racism and monism; within this framework, the sheer existence of the Kurdish people was seen as a threat. In order to eliminate this “threat,” they carried out genocide, assimilation, and annihilation policies against the Kurdish people, and the Kurdish language was carried out in the four countries, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, that colonized Kurdistan. The nation states colonizing Kurdistan have tried to destroy one of the most ancient peoples of Mesopotamia and one of the oldest languages in the world, following their mentality of 'one flag, one language, one nation, one state'."

The statement added: "Against the policies of genocide and annihilation, the Kurdish people waged unparalleled struggles in the four parts of Kurdistan and paid a heavy price to preserve their existence. Especially in northern Kurdistan, the people, who were imposed on denial, annihilation, and poverty, rose up again under the leadership of the people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan with the strength of their ancient culture and tore the shroud of death. Under the leadership of the PKK, the existence of the Kurdish people was protected and secured with the labor of thousands of martyrs for the freedom of Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Freedom Movement has successfully fulfilled its historical responsibility and duty to protect the existence, culture, identity, and language of the Kurdish people. The struggle for existence and freedom has entered a new phase!"

The statement continued: "For decades, due to the neglect of the Kurdish nation, their culture and language were brutally tried to be annihilated. Due to the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle, these attempts failed. The Kurdish language is one of the oldest and richest languages in the world and has resisted oppression and obstacles for centuries. Ehmedê Xanî, Feqiyê Teyran, Melayê Cizîrî, Celadet Elî Bedirxan, and many other great traditional singers, artists, poets, writers, and intellectuals have left a unique oral and written heritage to the Kurdish people.

The destruction and annihilation of languages is a severe crime against humanity. The Kurdish language is still not officially recognized; the policies of ignoring, banning, besieging, and assimilating used against the Kurdish language through different means and methods continue. The imposition of the language of the nation state on the Kurdish people continues throughout Kurdistan and in every region where Kurds live. Monist policies aim to assimilate the Kurds, to dissolve the Kurdish language, and to annihilate it over time.

The Kurdish language is not just a language; it is the soul of the Kurdish people. Our language is the sign of our existence and our most sacred value. It has protected our culture and history from extinction; our language is the first condition of our existence, the greatest bastion of freedom that protects our society. In history, whenever the enemies of the Kurds wanted to destroy the Kurds, they first turned to the Kurdish language, banned the Kurdish language, and aimed to eliminate Kurdish society by melting their language into their own language. This policy of dissolution and assimilation still continues today. The bans on the Kurdish language have not been lifted. The Kurdish language has still not become the official language of education."

The statement underlined that "the people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan, defines the level of development of language as the level of development of life and says, “The more a society has developed its mother tongue, the more it has developed its level of life.” The development and raising of the level of life are linked to the freedom of the Kurdish people and all the values of Kurdistan.

The struggle for the Kurdish language to become the official language and the language of education requires effort and serious attitudes. Once again, the highest level of vigilance is required so that no power can once again bring the Kurdish people into the clutches of cultural genocide. One must be aware that the protection of language is a stand against assimilation, the protection of language is the protection of culture, and the protection of language is the protection of Kurdistan. The protection of language is the protection of the legacy of the past and the achievements of the future. Every nation exists based on its unique language. Just as trees grow with their roots, the Kurdish people will grow with their language."

The statement reaffirmed that "the right to education in Kurdish is a legitimate and natural right; everyone must protect this right and raise the struggle for the Kurdish language to become the official language. On these historic days, on the occasion of May 15th, Kurdish Language Day, we bow with respect and gratitude in front of the martyrs of the Kurdistan freedom struggle. Once again, we call on our people to protect their language with the philosophy that “every Kurdish word is a cause for us”, to teach their children Kurdish, and to embrace the cause of language as a national cause.

We congratulate the Kurdish Language Day to all the people of Kurdistan, the workers and defenders of the Kurdish language."