Kurdish language institutions have issued a statement in support of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call for 'Peace and a Democratic Society.' The announcement was made in the garden of the Mesopotamia Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER) in Diyarbakır (Amed), where a banner reading "Status for Kurdish, Education in Kurdish" was displayed.

The statement was read in Kurmanji by Cahit Akıl, a member of the Birca Belek Language and Culture Association, and in Kirmanjki by Şükran Yakut, the Co-Chair of MED-DER.

Our language is our most fundamental element

Şükran Yakut stated: "This historic step marks a new phase in the Kurdish people's struggle for freedom. Its purpose is to establish a lasting and honorable peace and to build a democratic society based on freedom." Cahit Akıl added: "As Mr. Öcalan emphasized in his statement, ‘respect for identities, freedom of thought, democratic organization, and the socio-economic and political development of all components are only possible through the existence of a democratic social and political space.' The same applies to us Kurds. One of the fundamental aims of the Kurdish people’s struggle is to eliminate all forms of oppression against their language and to live freely in every aspect of life, using their own language and preserving all their national and social values. As Mr. Öcalan also stated: "The issue of the mother tongue is as essential as bread and water. If you do not learn your mother tongue, if you do not receive an education in it, you cannot think correctly or beautifully, you cannot produce anything—your mind is as if it has died."

Yakut stated that the construction of a democratic society is only possible when all prohibitions and pressures are eliminated, emphasizing that "Kurdish is our most fundamental, national, and historical element." She stressed that the Kurdish people’s right to self-governance must be recognized and that Kurdish must be granted official status as both an administrative and educational language. Yakut further stated that the approach towards the Kurdish language reflects the broader approach to peace, freedom, and democracy. She declared: "Naturally, the attitude toward Mr. Öcalan and his call for peace and a democratic society also mirror the attitude toward the Kurdish language. Mr. Öcalan’s statement is also our statement. We stand by it fully, and we will fight to ensure its realization. However, for this historic call to be realized, the first and foremost step must be the immediate lifting of the isolation imposed on Mr. Öcalan. All necessary conditions must be provided for him to work freely and establish all required contacts."

Signatories

-Amed Kurdish Institute

-Istanbul Kurdish Institute

-Avesta Language and Culture Research Association

-Association for the Development of Kurdish Language and Culture (KURDÎGEH)

-Botan Language and Culture Research Association / Sêrt (Siirt)

-Ferat Language and Culture Research Association (Ferat-Der) / Semsûr (Adıyaman)

-Êlih Arî Language Research and Culture Association / Êlih (Batman)

-Mesopotamia Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER) / Amed (Diyarbakır)

-Wan Language, Culture, and Arts Research Association / Erdîş (Van/Erciş)

-Amed Kurdish Literature Association / Amed

-Birca Belek Language and Culture Association / Cizîr (Cizre)

-Ankara Language, Culture, and Arts Association (Anka-Der) / Ankara

-Kurdish Language Association (CUDÎ-DER) / Silopiya (Silopi)

-Language and Literature Association (MEDYA-DER) / Tetwan (Tatvan)

-Kon Language, Culture, and Arts Association (KON-KULTUR) / Konya