In this interview, Besê Erzincan, coordinating member of the Kurdistan Women's Community (KJK), spoke about the latest developments in Kurdistan, the Middle East and the world. She also answered questions about the international conspiracy of 9 October 1998.

The anniversary of October 9th [the day Öcalan was forced to leave Syria, which marks the beginning of the odyssey ending in the international conspiracy of February 15, 1999] conspiracy against the leader of the Kurdish People Abdullah Öcalan is just a few days away. For nearly 3 years now there has been no news about him and his situation. What can you tell us about this situation?

The start of the international conspiracy, developed under the Leadership of US and Israeli intelligence, against Rêber Apo dates back to October 9, 1998. The aim of it was to end the hopes for freedom of us women and of our people in general with the capture of Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan]. On February 15, 1999, our Leadership was abducted and taken to the prison island of Imrali by giving the role of a guard to the Turkish state.

Rêber Apo has been held in Imrali for 25 years in a very ugly, brutal system of genocide and torture in a single cell under conditions of absolute isolation, in the most unfair cell punishments that aim to break the will and surrender. The slightest possibility of communication with the outside is not allowed. Our Leadership has no rights including no visits of lawyer and/or his family. No rule of law, humanitarian or moral are valid on Imrali island. Since the Imrali system of genocide system developed with the knowledge and support of the capitalist modernist international states and powers. Even the relevant institutions, especially the CPT, approve the functioning of this inhumane, unlawful and brutal system on Rêber Apo by remaining extremely silent.

We once again condemn the international conspiracy against Rêber Apo with anger and hatred. It has been developed in the most comprehensive, multidimensional, inhumane manner that the world has ever seen and experienced in the history of the world. The genocide system in Imrali, is a disgrace to humanity, which has been designed and developed for the first time in such a systematic and continuous manner to surrender the human will with brutal methods. We salute the resistance of Rêber Apo against the system of torture on Imrali. Also we would like to respectfully salute with all the actions developed by our people and especially by the women in the four parts of Kurdistan for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. The actions developed by our people in the frame of the “You cannot darken our sun!” campaign as a result of the capture of Rêber Apo. We commemorate all the martyrs of Kurdistan with gratitude. And accordingly we renew our promise to increase the struggle and to succeed.

The torture system of Imrali is in essence a system that is wanted to be developed step by step not only in Turkey but also by the global hegemonic forces. It is the intention and purpose of the capitalist modernity to keep the organizations, individuals and pioneering personalities that they see as opponents within such a system of torture. The conclusions drawn from the experiences gained from all the prisons of the world are being applied against our Leader in the genocide prison type of Imrali. It is a system where all kinds of isolation and torture methods are applied in order to dehumanize people and make them unable to think. It is the most ugly and brutal invention of the dominant male mind. The widespread use of this system is also being considered. In fact, the male-dominated system is intimidating all freedom forces in the world with the Imrali system. The aim is to draw all anti-system forces on one line and to discipline them.

Therefore, it is also the duty of the democratic and free forces in the world, to fight against the system of isolation and torture on Imrali. This struggle is stuggle for humanity. It is extremely important and vital to approach it with this consciousness and sensitivity and to wage an organized, radical struggle.

What are the reasons why the forces of capitalist modernity attacked especially the leader of the Kurdish people, Abdullah Öcalan, so brutally?

October 9 is also the day when the great revolutionary leader Che Guevara was assassinated in 1967. We would also like to respectfully remember this great revolutionary leader. It is obvious that the forces of the hegemonic system and the colonialist state of Turkey did not choose the date of October 9th by chance. The hegemonic mentality, the dominant male system that murdered Che Guevara, is now attacking Rêber Apo, the leaders of the revolution, especially the women and the youth who search to be liberated and to liberate themselves. But their resistance, the resistance of humanity, continues.

The representatives of the patriarchal system are aware of the geostrategic, geopolitical and historical significance of the revolution in Kurdistan. It includes the women’s revolution in its bosom, and they know how much these revolutions have the ability to influence and drag all of humanity. The Middle East has always played a very strategic role in human history. Whichever power dominated the geography of Kurdistan was influential in the Middle East. Therefore, it is estimated that when such a historical geography, women and peoples meet with the ideology of freedom of our Leadership, they will not accept any state or sovereign system against them. The organization and uprisings of free women, free people and societies deeply shake the foundations of the five-thousand year old patriarchal system. Therefore, there is a deep fear of the energy and potential of women and people living in the Middle East geography that could lead to a universal human revolution.

In this context, it is also understood how the capitalist modernist system led by the USA and Israel sees Rêber Apo as a danger. The ruling system saw the revolution developed by our Leadership, the Leadership of women and of the revolution in Kurdistan and responded with a comprehensive and organized international conspiracy. By trying to limit the effect of Rêber Apo, they tried to prevent, deflect and use the development of the women’s revolution in Kurdistan and its impact on the whole region and the world.

Essentially, it can be said, that in the person of Rêber Apo, they targeted the profile of a free human being with a will that they could not control. As it is known, Rêber Apo’s approach of valuing, developing and liberating human beings, his efforts to realize the revolution in life without postponing it to the future, the fact that his daily life style and stance are always freedom-oriented, and his consciousness, will, creativity, initiative, principled and flexible style in creating free life and relationships are very important. Our Leadership is a different Leadership that has imposed itself on all humanity with its way of thinking, its content and the level of putting it into practice. He has organized his personality on the basis of freedom values.

Our Leadership formed its personality traits by radically criticizing the lifestyle of the hegemonic system and developing its alternative step by step. For example, he once said, “I will not be the man of this age”. By killing the characteristics of the dominant male and in the same time creating the free male personality in his own, he had a different perspective, style and method of struggle. He first practiced the new, beautiful and correct in his own personality and reflected it to the PKK and Kurdistan. The reality of our Leadership has directly reflected on all peoples and beliefs living in the Middle East, Turks, Arabs, Persians, Turkmen, Armenians, Assyrians, Circassians, Laz, Greeks, Greeks, Alevis, Sunnis, Êzîdis [Yazidis], Yarsans, Christians and Jews with his personality, stance, struggle and resistance. The will and color of women, peoples and marginalized belief groups in the Middle East are emerging on this basis. There is a paradigm of freedom that has spread all over the world in the person of our Leadership and the Leadership of the PKK and PAJK.

Our Leadership has acted with the goal of developing an alternative life and a system that can cover the Middle East and all of humanity. He tried to develop the revolution in Kurdistan by drawing the right conclusions from the experiences of all the revolutions that humanity has seen, overcoming the mistakes and completing the deficiencies. The KCK and the KJK have developed their systems on this basis. In this context, for the first time, it aimed to realize the women’s revolution, the revolution in Kurdistan, by creating free human, free women and free men models outside the borders of hegemonic masculinity and from within the colonized people of Kurdistan.

How do you evaluate the resistance of Rêber Apo’s on Imrali island and in your opinion, what should be done for his physical freedom?

The resistance and stance of our Leader in the Imrali prison is different from other revolutionary leaders, just like his entire life, struggle, personality and ideology. Rêber Apo’s style of resistance includes the development of an alternative life and system and sharing it with all humanity through his prison writings. Our Leadership also evaluated his personal prison writings in terms of the women’s libertarian, democratic ecological paradigm as a guide for the liberation of society and women. With the Imrali prison writings, Rêber Apo developed the Democratic Confederalism and democratic nation model on the basis of the women’s liberation and collective women’s Leadership. Collective women’s Leadership is a Leadership developed together by women who struggle in all aspects of life. We women have to understand the thoughts of our Leadership in order to put them into practice and we have to work with all our strength to implement them.

On this basis, Abdullah Öcalan is also the leader of our women’s liberation struggle. The male-dominated system planned to keep women in captivity by keeping our Leadership in captivity. However, with his ideology and concrete practices, he still managed to frustrate the male-dominated system and teach women and peoples the ways and methods of liberation. We women who want to be free have been shown the way. The rest will depend on women, societies and peoples supporting and putting into practice these basic life principles and methods.

Therefore, the greatest response to the international conspiracy and the captivity of Rêber Apo needs to be to increase the efforts to understand him, especially his women’s freedom policy, and to put it into practice. It is only by understanding and implementing our Leadership that we can successfully realize our revolution. The deficiencies and mistakes in our work now are due to the inadequacies in our level of understanding and implementation. The only way to live humanely, honorably and honestly is for everyone to strongly embrace our freedom struggle and join the resistance. It is to raise the struggle for the physical freedom of our Leadership.

Rêber Apo has been resisting for 25 years in an unprecedented system of genocide and torture. It should be known that even the slightest contact with the ideas of our Leadership can have a great effect on people and especially on women. Rêber Apo constantly draws women and humanity towards freedom and struggle. Today, even though all connections of him with humanity have been physically cut, individuals who love and want freedom, democracy and ecological struggle have met the Leadership in one way or another. With this acquaintance, the love and devotion of women and people towards the Leadership has developed. The ideology and thoughts of our Leadership are gradually being internalized, especially by women and youth. In the depths of the heart of every person who knows, hears and recognizes Rêber Apo, there is definitely a piece of our him. Rêber Apo manages to imprint himself into every human being, into their souls. He wins people on the basis of freedom.

For this reason, we have to support our Leadership very strongly and have to accordingly increase the struggle for freedom. As women and youth, we have to be at the forefront in every aspect of the freedom struggle. We have to fight for the physical freedom of our Leadership with all our being. We need to develop mobilizations and organizations. We need to frustrate the international conspiracy by increasing our consciousness, organization and activism and building democratic nation dimensions in every field. On this basis, in this critical period we are in for our Leadership, our people, women and our peoples, the way each of us participates has to develop in an extremely effective and historic way.

The ambitious, faithful and determined participation of women in particular, by pioneering themselves and taking upon the struggle as a whole, it is very important and will bring positive and historical developments. Without losing hope, without expecting anything from anyone, let us support Rêber Apo and our struggle with our own minds, our labor, our stance of resistance and freedom, our organization, our own strength and will. On the basis of the women’s revolution, let us realize the Kurdistan revolution in Mesopotamia, the revolution of the peoples to live together equally. On this basis, let us show our very clear and open attitude to the international conspiracy. Let us frustrate the international conspiracy. Let freedom win. May women’s freedom and the freedom of humanity prevail.