The Kurdistan Women's Communities (KJK) Executive Council member Çiğdem Doğu and The Party of Free Women of Kurdistan (PAJK) Assembly Member Tekoşîn Ozan spoke about Abdullah Öcalan’s historic ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’ announced on 27 February and 8 March, International Women's Day, in a special program broadcast on Medya Haber TV.

'Öcalan's call is a manifesto that needs to be understood by all segments'

Çiğdem Doğu stated that Öcalan’s call is in the nature of a manifesto that will have an impact on Kurdish history, the history of Turkey, and even beyond that on the history and peoples of the Middle East, a manifesto that will leave its mark on the coming centuries, perhaps millennia. Doğu stated: “Of course, there is no doubt that the issues and determinations put forward by Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] in this call need to be discussed. There are tasks that need to be understood in much more depth and fulfilled once they are understood. In this sense, this call is really of historic importance. I would like to greet Leader Apo and I salute the historic call he has made.”

Çiğdem Doğu noted that the call is the product of a 50-year history of struggle, and explained that Öcalan’s perspectives have turned into a stronger analysis and system.

'We consider it a task that Leader Öcalan has put before us'

Remarking that Öcalan’s call is worth thousands of pages of meaning, Doğu said, “It is a manifesto that needs to be understood by all segments, by the peoples of Turkey; from the Kurdish people to the Laz, Turkmens, Circassians, Armenians, Greeks, Arabs, by all peoples of the Middle East, by different religious and sectarian identities. This is how we see it, how we deal with it. We, as the Women's Movement, consider it a task that Leader Apo has put before us. We are focused on how we can realize this in the coming period, how we can bring it to success.”

Stating that it is essential for Öcalan to be able to do politics, work, communicate, be in a healthy and safe environment and under freer conditions, Doğu emphasized that this is a guarantee for the progress of the process. 

'He should be able to talk with everyone in the conduct of this process'

“As a leader who is competent in this work, as a revolutionary socialist leader, he should be able to talk with everyone in the conduct of this process, to convince, to discuss and, of course, to set new policies, agendas, to be in contact with his comrades in struggle, with us. There is a congress on the agenda, he should be able to conduct this congress directly... In general terms, in order for this process to be successful, it is essential that Leader Apo is in direct communication, involvement and sharing with all segments,” Çiğdem Doğu said. She added that the campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan should be advanced on this basis.

Doğu continued: “We need to be in practice on the basis of making this campaign a success. The most fundamental approach to this process will be to fully mobilize our strength and to ensure further and stronger participation in line with the success of the democratic society project and the peace perspective with the liberation of the Leader.

I would like to reiterate this call to the Kurdish people, to the peoples of Turkey, to the peoples of the Middle East, to all revolutionary-democratic, left-socialist, feminist, anarchist, ecologist groups, to all our friends and international comrades around the world; we must all participate in the campaign in the strongest way possible, locked on the freedom of Leader Apo, and achieve absolute success.”

'We have paid a huge price and made great efforts'

PAJK Assembly Member Tekoşîn Ozan stated that today's historic point was reached at great cost and said, “A great deal of effort has been made to bring the struggle to this stage. We have paid a huge price and made great efforts as a movement. We have lost many martyrs. I would like to state once again that we will remain committed to the memory of our martyrs and that we will take a practice worthy of them as a basis in the new struggle process.”                                                                                                                   

Emphasizing that every sentence of Öcalan’s message was like a manifesto, Ozan said, “In fact, the message stated clearly what should be done in the coming period. It made it clear why things got to this point and why such a call was made. If we analyze the sentences one by one, we can see the traces of our history of struggle, its ideological, political and political development and the level it has reached. This is not a tactical change, but actually a paradigmatic change. In other words, it is one of the most concrete steps of paradigmatic change. When developing the Democratic Modernity Paradigm, the Leader named it already. He had stated in his defenses that the struggle must be developed through democratic methods and democratic means of struggle. He presented the politics, relationship style and culture of this struggle as analyses with historical dimensions. He also comprehensively analyzed the mistakes he stood against with their historical and current dimensions. This step, which is defined as a ‘Call for peace and democratic society’, is not just a call for a “political period”. It is also a manifesto for a 21st century political stance, a way of social relations, a way of life, a way of social life in which women will also take the lead.”

'The manifesto contains both criticism and self-criticism'

Ozan underlined that socialism essentially means defending society and its culture and developing social relations through the values of freedom in differences and diversity: “This is actually the main meaning of socialism. Great mistakes have been made, says the Leader. At this point, there is also self-criticism. The manifesto contains both criticism and self-criticism. Of course, when we talk about a manifesto, we also need to look back and ask ourselves, “What do we need to overcome, on what do we need to self-criticize?” This is not only valid for us as a “movement”. If we are talking about the reality of society, all its segments, be it political, moral, faith, need to ask the question ‘Where did we do wrong, what are we still doing wrong?’ We need to find the wrong and correct it.”

'Peace cannot be limited to the political-military situation between the PKK and the Turkish state army'

Tekoşîn Ozan continued: “After the 90s, the Leader focused on the concepts of democracy, ceasefire and the struggle for social freedom. He always emphasized the need to pave the way for democratic politics beyond the armed struggle. In other words, although the current war is portrayed as an event between the PKK and the Turkish state army, peace cannot be limited to the political-military situation between these two parties. It is actually about what the new way of life and relationship will be. What will be the relationship between men and women, between Turks and Kurds, between Arabs and Persians, between Arabs and Jews, between Turks and other peoples?

This is a manifesto that concerns all this. When you place the relations between men and women on the ground of freedom, all these dichotomies of ethnic-religious differences have to be reorganized because they are built on the wrong stones. The Leader does not develop this as a single “Kurdish-Turkish political and military process”, but gives a perspective of “living right, freely, and democratically”. He says that the Kurdish question and the Turkish question cannot be solved without democratization.

'Women have a more constructive reality as community builders'

Why are women so important at this point? Because this is a male-dominated language. Women have a more constructive reality as community builders. Their language is also more constructive. For example, if we take neighborly ethics as an example, Kurdish, Turkish, Laz, Azeri, Armenian people live together in the same neighborhood, and no one says “I'll bury you” to anyone. A more respectful style develops due to neighborly ethics. Women are the ones who ensure this the most, because they are the main element that establishes the bond between them. We need to carry this to the political level and make it dominant in society.

The role of women is very important. Democracy is something that the truly strong can achieve. Women are community builders, so they have an inclusive language. This is not modesty or weakness, but a different expression of strength.”

'8 March is not only a day of protest or celebration'

Çiğdem Doğu stated that 8 March is not only a day of protest or celebration, but also a day of institutionalizing and organizing the women's revolution. She continued: “It also creates a perspective for the women of the world. It should not be just like “let's gather on 8 March, protest, then disperse”. Yes, there will be protests, but at the same time we should ask the questions ‘How will we wage a continuous struggle? Through which institutions will we carry it out?’ This is how 8 March should be understood. In fact, we want all 365 days to be women's days. In other words, for life to be women-centered and society-centered. In fact, on 8 March 1998, the Leader said, “All days should be women's freedom days.

Women are society itself. We say woman equals society. Therefore, the liberation of women means the liberation of children and different peoples. Therefore, if we talk about ‘Democratic Society’, it means the freedom of women. It is an environment where women and men are equal. It is an atmosphere where children, young people and different identities are equal and free. The role of women is of great importance here.

'We do not approach this matter on an ideological-philosophical level alone'

We do not approach this matter on an ideological-philosophical level alone. To say that every day belongs to women, and therefore to society, to liberation, is not a pro-woman approach, but the liberation of society as a whole. In other words, it is inclusive for children, young people, different peoples, everyone.

The main question to ask here is, “What are we going to do as women?” What do we need to do both on the occasion of 8 March and afterwards, so that every day becomes a day of liberation? First of all, women should be engaged in actions, activities, conferences, workshops, rallies, artistic-cultural events, and they should definitely turn this into a permanent decision. In other words, it is not an approach that gathers and disperses, but deals with the questions ‘What can we do, what kind of struggle perspective can we develop?’ It is important to develop projects, put them into practice and organize the efforts to this end.”

'This call can also be seen as a call to overcome male domination'

Tekoşîn Ozan drew attention to Abdullah Öcalan’s call for women and emphasized the following: “This call can also be seen as a call to overcome male domination. When we talk about democracy and freedom, the deepest problem is the issue of women. Therefore, it is about confronting male domination. At this point, there should also be a call to men. They should not be afraid of liberating women. The Leader said, ‘The liberated woman rises like the sun.’ Once women are liberated, it will also lead to the liberation of men.

'The PKK has also created a tradition of questioning masculinity'

The male identity within the PKK has also made a great effort in this regard. Questioning their masculinity, trying to overcome it… I don't know if it is over or not, but there is a serious effort. There are letters written to women comrades. We have friends questioning their own male identity. In other words, the PKK has created not only an armed struggle, but also a tradition of questioning masculinity. This is a very important experience.

The man in search of freedom should ask, ‘I don't want this dominating identity, I want to have a free relationship with society. How should I relate to my wife in the family, my girlfriend, my mother, my sister... How can I have an equal and free relationship with all of them?’ The man who makes this questioning actually finds his “real male” identity. Losing one's domination is not something to be afraid of. On the contrary, it paves the way for liberation.”