In an in-depth interview, Besê Hozat, co-chair of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council, talks at length, among other things, about the significance of the international conspiracy on the occasion of the 26th anniversary and elaborates on the global freedom campaign against it. She also goes into great detail about current developments in the context of the Third World War and analyzes the interests of the hegemonic forces of capitalist modernity, with a special focus on Turkey and Iran.

We publish the first part of the interview below:

The international conspiracy has now left its 26th year behind. The Kurdish people’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, has analyzed this conspiracy in detail several times and described it as an attack on the Kurdish people and the peoples of the Middle East. The conspiracy is an attempt to drive the peoples of the Middle East into war against each other. How should the conspiracy be assessed today, in view of the ongoing Third World War?

We have reached the 26th anniversary of the international conspiracy and are entering its 27th year. First of all, I condemn and curse the forces that developed the conspiracy with hatred, and I salute with respect and love the great resistance that Rêber Apo (Leader Abdullah Öcalan) has developed throughout those 26 years under the conditions of torture and isolation in Imrali. A great popular and guerrilla resistance developed inspired through it. This brought upon very important results. And it continues to do so. In this sense, I send my greetings and love to Rêber Apo. I also commemorate all the martyrs of revolution and struggle for freedom with respect, love, and gratitude, particularly the martyrs who gave their lives for the struggle under the slogan “You cannot darken our sun!”.

October is a month that symbolizes both the international conspiracy and the great resistance against it. On October 9, 2019, the Turkish state launched an invasion operation against Gire Spi and Serekaniye. Again, on October 9, 2020, the Shengal Treaty was signed, which meant a new german (the word used by the Yazidi people to describe a genocidal attack on them. It comes from the time of the Ottoman Empire, where the rulers attempted to wipe out the Êzidis through several ‘fermans’) against Shengal (Sinjar). A major attack against the Êzidis started through this agreement. There was also the massacre of October 10 at the Ankara Train Station (On October 10, 2015, two ISIS suicide bombers attacked a demonstration for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question organized by the HDP and other democratic forces at Ankara train station. 102 people were killed and more than 500 others were injured.) Over one hundred people lost their lives in this massacre. I commemorate them all with respect, love, and gratitude. It was an attack that caused a great trauma in Turkish society. Even though it was ISIS who attacked, it happened with the direct participation of the AKP, MHP, and the Turkish state. They used ISIS in Ankara, just as they used them against the Kurds in Rojava, against the Êzidis in Shengal, the democratic forces, the socialist forces, and the Kurdish freedom movement; they used them in Turkey and in the whole region.

On the other hand, of course, very big serhildans (Kurdish word for popular uprising) also took place within this month. There were the Kobane serhildans of October 6-7 in northern Kurdistan. Hundreds of thousands of people participated in them. They had an important role and impact on the protection and liberation of Kobane. The Turkish state put Hizbulkontra, as well as many gangs and mercenaries, into action there, and dozens of our people were massacred brutally.

In the month of October, great women fell as martyrs, especially Gülnaz Karataş [nom de guerre: Beritan, a pioneer in the Kurdish freedom movement. She laid the foundation for the development of the autonomous Kurdish women’s guerrilla. In a battle against the KDP in 1992, she was surrounded by the enemy and instead of surrendering, she decided to throw herself off a cliff], Gurbetelli Ersöz [a leading militant of the Kurdish women’s movement, best known for her activities in the free press and her prison resistance. She fell in combat in southern Kurdistan on October 8, 1997], Rojin Gewda [Sureya Aslan, a leading member of the central command of the HPG and YJA Star guerrilla forces. She fell in combat on October 7, 2012 in the Hakkari region], Gülnaz Ege [Nuran Er, a leading member of the central command of the YJA-Star guerrilla forces. She fell martyr in a battle on September 30, 2017 in Diyarbakır], Çiçek Kurtalan [Ayten Ene, a leading member of the central command of the YJA-Star guerrilla forces. She was martyred in an attack by the enemy army on October 04, 2019 in the Dersim region] and Nagihan Akarsel [a long-time activist in the Kurdish women’s movement who did pioneering work, particularly in Jineolojî (women’s science). She was murdered on the street in an assassination attempt in Sulaymaniyah on October 4, 2022). On October 4, 2014, Arin Mirkan carried out a self-sacrificial action in Kobane, which had a massive impact on the resistance of Kobane. With her spirit, the Kobane resistance developed and succeeded. The month of October is indeed full of great martyrdoms.

Finally, the so-called ‘Çöktürme Planı’ [Plan that the Turkish government, or rather the deep state of Turkey in coordination with NATO forces, forged secretly during the so-called ‘peace process’. The state abruptly broke off talks with the Kurdish movement in 2015 and escalated the situation as part of this plan, which could literally be translated as a ‘plan of forcing them to their knees’] was also developed in this month, on October 30, 2014. October is a month full of conspiracies and attacks, especially the international conspiracy on the one hand, and it is also a month full of great resistance and struggle against the conspiracy on the other.

The international conspiracy is a conspiracy targeting the Kurdish people in the person of Rêber Apo and generally targeting the peoples of the region. Rêber Apo was seen as a major obstacle by the international capitalist hegemonic powers. There was an intervention in the Middle East that had already started in the early 90s. It marked the beginning of the Third World War. The collapse of the Soviet Union, Saddam’s attack on Kuwait, these developments marked the beginning of this war, and it continued to intensify with the American intervention. The international conspiracy of October 9, 1998, was also developed at an important stage of the Third World War. At that time, a stronger direct intervention in Iraq was on the agenda. It was aimed at overthrowing Saddam’s government and eliminating him. Also, the intervention in Afghanistan was on the agenda. Generally speaking, a very comprehensive Middle East intervention was on the agenda, and Rêber Apo and the PKK were seen as an obstacle to this. Because it was the main revolutionary dynamic force in the region. A great struggle was being waged under the leadership of the PKK. The Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom, the peoples’ struggle for freedom was creating a very serious consciousness and enlightenment among the peoples of the Middle East. In this respect, such a conspiracy was carried out against Rêber Apo. This paved the way for the collaborationist, treasonous line in Kurdistan. A line that they wanted to make dominate in Kurdistan. The international hegemonic powers wanted to benefit from it in their regional policies and interventions in the region.

Of course, as I pointed out before, a great struggle also developed against this conspiracy. Our people, everyone regardless of age, whether in the four parts of Kurdistan or outside, have all stood up. Dozens of people carried out self-sacrificial actions. The paradigm of democratic nation and the democratic confederal system put forward by Rêber Apo in the following years, as a whole, brought this conspiracy to naught. It deciphered the trap that was laid on the peoples. With the deciphering of this and the failure of the conspiracy, the freedom struggle increased its influence in Kurdistan and the region. The movement grew even more. As one result, the Rojava Revolution took place, paving the way for the democratic revolution in the Middle East. A very strong ground was formed in this sense. When the situation was reversed, of course the international conspiracy updated itself and continued. After 2000, especially within the PKK, there was an attempt to develop a treasonous, collaborative line based on conquering power and seizing the PKK from within. They developed many meetings and relations with some of those who were in leading positions at that time, and through them they wanted to take over the PKK and liquidate it. The internal betrayal and liquidationist line developed after 2000. And in 2003, it made itself fully visible and wanted to make an internal coup against the movement and take it over. This was led by the US, AKP, and KDP.

The US, AKP, and KDP were in contact with these traitors within the PKK. It was an attempted intervention of these forces inside the PKK. Of course, this also came to nothing. Against this, Rêber Apo and the movement waged a strong struggle. Our people waged a strong struggle. At the end, the liquidationism itself was liquidated.

The KDP was involved in this conspiracy from the beginning. They wanted to put all Kurds under the control of the collaborationist, treasonous agent line. The international capitalist and imperialist powers had given such a role to the KDP. They also wanted to make Turkey a model and actively develop intervention in the region through Turkey. In this respect, these forces conspired against Rêber Apo and handed him over to Turkey. Such a very dirty, illegal, inhumane, and immoral conspiracy was developed against the Kurdish people and the peoples of the region in the person of Rêber Apo. The resistance that Rêber Apo developed, the solution project, the solution approach, the paradigm of the democratic nation, the ecological, democratic, confederal system project based on women’s freedom, completely nullified this conspiracy.

The aim of the conspiracy was the physical extermination of Rêber Apo, the complete liquidation of the PKK, and a total genocide of the Kurdish people. Neither the physical destruction of Rêber Apo was realized, nor twas he PKK liquidated, nor were the Kurdish people subjected to a total genocide as they had envisioned. This conspiracy came to naught with the resistance stance put forward by Rêber Apo, the resistance of our people, the guerrilla resistance, and the resistance of women. We can state this very easily.

Of great significance was also that, during the period when this conspiracy was developing, Rêber Apo had declared a unilateral ceasefire. He had demanded a solution to the Kurdish question within the borders of Turkey. There were also several statements in this sense. Of course, these statements and this search for a solution did not develop spontaneously. The Turkish army and the Turkish state were also in a tendency, a search, and an effort to solve the Kurdish question through dialogue. Our leadership had also received messages in this direction. The ceasefire declaration also developed on this basis. The statements made by our leadership also developed on this basis. Indeed, within the Turkish state, one wing of this was represented by the army. Some generals were leading this. They wanted to solve the Kurdish question on a political basis. In order to give them a chance, Rêber Apo decided on such a ceasefire.

In fact, the international conspiracy was also an intervention against such tendencies that might develop within the Turkish state; it was also an intervention against such efforts of the movement and Rêber Apo. In other words, the first steps of the change of strategy and the change of paradigm were actually a process that started in 1993 and 1995. But it reached an important stage in 1998. They saw this because the democratic solution of the Kurdish question, the liberation of the Kurds, the democratization of Turkey, and the democratization of the region were not in the interest of the international powers, led by the US and Britain, who wanted to intervene in the region. They saw this as an obstacle. They saw it as a threat, a danger. A constant conflict, a state of war in Turkey, was more useful for them. In this situation, they could better use Turkey for their own interests; they could put it at their service. They could use the Kurds more easily. They could put them under the control of the collaborationist agent line and put them at their service in any way they wanted. In that respect, they envisioned a war between peoples to be in their own interests. In that way, they would be able to implement their policies in the region more easily. They would be able to realize their interests more easily. Such a dirty policy was implemented.

When Rêber Apo was abducted, Ecevit was in power. During the Ecevit period, some generals had meetings with Rêber Apo. There was still a search for a democratic political solution to the Kurdish question. But after the Al-Qaeda attack on America on September 11, 2001, the intervention in Afghanistan developed. The concept of “fighting terrorism” was implemented all over the world. And Turkey also wanted to benefit from this. Therefore, it ended that process completely. In those processes, especially during the Ecevit period, there were actually searches in this direction. But after that, all talks with Rêber Apo were broken off. Ecevit was already ousted from power. They replaced him with the AKP. The AKP carried out a tactic to settle in the state; it carried out a liberal politics that appealed to everyone. After it took control of the state, it put genocide policies into effect. In 2014, it developed the ‘cokturme plani’.

After October 9, 1998, the conspiracy continued, and was constantly updated. Genocidal attacks, total genocidal attacks continued. And a great resistance also developed against this. The center of this resistance was, of course, Imrali, Rêber Apo. The conspiracy did not reach its goal. The struggle and resistance frustrated the conspiracy.