In the second part of this interview with Medya Haber TV, Besê Hozat, Co-President of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council, spoke about the recent visit to Abdullah Öcalan and the global campaign for his freedom. 

The first part of this interview can be read here.

Abdullah Öcalan, pointed out that the isolation still continues. After the last family visit, a six-month disciplinary punishment was imposed on him. Against this isolation, the Kurdish people and their international friends have been in a constant state of action as part of the global campaign for his physical freedom and the solution to the Kurdish question. Big rallies have been organized lately in Cologne, and Batman (Elih). How do you evaluate the developments?

Firstly, I would like to congratulate the 46th anniversary of the founding of our party to Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan], our people, particularly the women and all progressive people. This year of struggle was celebrated in a magnificent way with great enthusiasm in Kurdistan and abroad, like other years, even far exceeding other years. And our international friends have also taken part in it. The start of the 47th year of the struggle has truly been approached with a strong attitude.

This year’s anniversary of the founding of the party also expressed a strong participation in the global freedom campaign. It is appropriate to consider the celebrations of the anniversary within the context of the freedom campaign. It represents an important level that the freedom campaign has reached. Our people sent the clear message that within the 47th year of the party, the physical freedom of Rêber Apo will definitely be ensured and the democratic solution to the Kurdish question will be realized with our struggle and resistance. In this sense, our people gave a message of victory. They put forward this claim, conviction, and determination. This is of great importance. With a strong spirit, the freedom campaign was welcomed in its second year, and now, on the 46th anniversary of the founding of the party, it achieved an important level of participation.

November 25 was the international day against violence against women. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of women took to the streets in Kurdistan, Turkey, and all over the world under the slogan ‘Jin Jiyan Azadi.’ This was extremely important. The fact that the way to women’s freedom is through the freedom of Rêber Apo, and the freedom philosophy of Rêber Apo was expressed very strongly with the slogan ‘Jin Jiyan Azadi.’ Women were chanting this everywhere.

This needs to be considered as a continuation of the freedom campaign; these protests, the protests against violence against women, were another step forward. The women united, following the philosophy of Rêber Apo, the philosophy of ‘Jin Jiyan Azadi.’ They demonstrated great solidarity, the will and power of a common, united struggle. They have strongly expressed that a free life, a democratic system, and a free society can only be possible through women’s struggle and women’s liberation, and that this can only be possible with the freedom of Rêber Apo.

Therefore, this should be considered as part of the freedom campaign. Rêber Apo’s contributions to the women’s liberation struggle, his struggle, and the level he has achieved are now seen by the whole world. This effort is slowly starting to be seen by the women of the world, by all humanity. Therefore, women’s participation in the freedom campaign is of great importance. Last year, the Kurdish women’s movement had a very strong participation in it. One could say that it pioneered the freedom campaign. It particularly played a serious role in the globalization and universalization of it.

In particular, the studies and education of Jineoloji were effective in this regard. It brought with it the coming together, participation, and the assumption of responsibility of many female individuals, activists, and women’s movements around the world. I am convinced that if women’s liberation and the philosophy of freedom developed by Rêber Apo are explained to the women of the world even more, better, and stronger actions and activities will take place, and the common struggle will grow more. Women’s embrace of Rêber Apo’s struggle for and understanding of freedom will become much more universal and global, and women’s movements, as well as all women who struggle for freedom and equality, will join and lead the freedom campaign. This is of great significance. It is Rêber Apo’s women’s freedom ideology that has brought our struggle to this day. This must continue strongly, and the women’s liberation movement must play an even more crucial role in the development and growth of the campaign and in achieving results.

The ecological struggle was also conducted at a certain level and yielded important results. In particular, world-renowned climate activists, various individuals who make a very serious contribution to environmental movements and ecological movements, who are pioneers, participated in the freedom campaign and expressed their thoughts. This is important, as social ecology is a fundamental pillar of Rêber Apo’s paradigm. The world is experiencing a huge climate crisis, destruction, and ecocide. Our planet faces great dangers. Bringing the ecological ideas of Rêber Apo to the environmental and ecological movements, meeting and discussing with them, and their participation in the campaign will add great strength to it. It is necessary to work strongly in this direction. As it is a fundamental dimension of the campaign. Ecology committees, ecological initiatives, all institutions, structures, and individuals who work within the paradigm of Rêber Apo should be able to carry out such strong work.

There have been marches in Elih and Cologne that were also followed by many more afterward. Through them, a very clear and strong message was sent. Our people showed their attitude very clearly. They showed their stance of resistance very well. I salute our people, and I salute and congratulate the resistance that is developing in Kurdistan and all over the world. These marches, this social resistance, and this social struggle must continue much stronger. Both in North Kurdistan and Turkey, as well as in the other parts of Kurdistan and abroad, the social pillar of the freedom campaign is very important. One should also not underestimate the great impact that the social pillar also has on diplomatic and political work. Of course, legal and ideological work must also continue in a strong way.

The torture system continues in Imrali. The fascist, genocidal Turkish state continues it very persistently. Not only does the international system turn a blind eye to this, it is a partner in it. In general, it can be stated that there is no change. There is no change in the policies of torture and genocide being carried out in Imrali, and the current system of torture and isolation continues in its current form of absolute isolation. There have been various statements and speeches made by the fascist Bahceli in the last one or two months; they are actually part of a special war policy aimed at legitimizing and normalizing isolation in a very subtle way. His statements and speeches should be elaborated in this way.

Nevertheless, one must deal with the statements, and there are circles that draw their conclusions from them. What Bahceli is basically admitting is that they could not break the resistance that is being put up; they could not crush our movement, and they could not force the Kurdish people to surrender. And this is the truth. Both our people and our movement are on their feet and are continuing this struggle with all their might. They have reached a point where they have no choice but to adapt some of their previous statements. If you look at his speeches, you can see that he has accepted three realities. First, the existence of the Kurdish people. At least he says that the Kurdish people exist and that he accepts this.

The second is that, once again, it is clear that Bahceli is the mouthpiece of the deep state and that the deep state knows that Rêber Apo is the contact person for solving the Kurdish question. From this, one can conclude that it accepts Rêber Apo as the leader of his people. At least that is what he says and what is being discussed by various sides. And the third thing is that the fascist Bahceli has openly admitted that there has been a system of isolation and torture in Imrali for 26 years. Not only that it exists, but that it is the expression of a policy, or rather, that it is the center of a policy that aims at annihilation. But while doing all this, in practice he has not accepted the existence, freedom, rights, and law of the Kurdish people. Yes, they have named Rêber Apo as the interlocutor in the solution to the Kurdish question, but they have no plan, project, or policy to sit down with Rêber Apo and solve the Kurdish question democratically. Some things have been expressed in rhetoric, but what is happening in practice is the continuation of the genocide policies in a very violent way by deepening and extending them even more. Therefore, where can these discourses be placed?

The global freedom campaign, the resistance of our people, the struggle and resistance together with our international friends, the glorious resistance of the guerrillas, and the resistance developed in the line of the self-sacrificial pioneers, especially in the last four to five years, have put forward an excellent and tremendous resistance. All this struggle and resistance has brought about such a change of discourse. Because despite all the genocidal attacks, despite the totality of them, they could not liquidate the movement.

They could not break the will of the Kurdish people; they could not surrender them. Therefore, the developments in the region, the fact that the movement, as a fundamental dynamic force in all these developments, stands in the middle with all its strength and continues its struggle, and their fear of this brought about such a change in discourse. In rhetoric, they have accepted all this, but in reality, in essence, in intention, in practice, in mentality, and in policy, they have not accepted it. All their current discourses only serve their aim of deceiving and stalling the Kurdish people, creating a fake relaxation, and essentially eliminating the obstacles in front of them, and essentially bringing the genocidal policies to a conclusion. In this way, they also want to legitimize isolation. In other words, on the one hand, the government and the opposition admit that there is isolation, but on the other hand, they do not lift isolation. They don’t make any legislative changes regarding the lifting of isolation. They don’t take any practical steps in this regard. It continues as it is, and gradually they are trying to create an environment of legitimization and normalization. This poses a serious danger. They are trying to acclimatize society, the democratic opposition, and democratic public opinion to the current state of isolation. There is such a very insidious special war game.

These discourses should be seen and evaluated as a part of the policy they are conducting in order to conclude their genocidal plans. They have developed it as a special war game and are trying to normalize this approach. This trap and this game need to be seen and well understood.

Our people should know that the isolation torture system continues. There is no change. Therefore, it is necessary that the global freedom campaign is continued in the strongest way possible. It must surpass the level it reached so far in the dimension of social resistance, legal, ideological, political, and diplomatic struggle. Like this, results can and must be achieved. It is necessary to ensure Rêber Apo’s health, security, and physical freedom, and it is necessary to put the democratic solution to the Kurdish question seriously on the agenda and create the environment and ground for this. This can only be achieved through struggle and resistance, and it is ensured by leading the global freedom campaign to success by bringing it to a conclusion. On this basis, I call on everyone to increase and raise the struggle and to lead the global freedom campaign to success and victory.