Duran Kalkan, member of the KCK Executive Council, spoke about the latest developments in Kurdistan, the Middle East and the world, including the continuing uncertainty regarding the situation of Abdullah Öcalan, the partnership of European powers with fascism in Turkey, the recent major defeat of the Turkish Army in South Kurdistan/North Iraq, the democratic struggle to overcome the blockage caused by the Turkish regime.

Continuing uncertainty regarding situation of Abdullah Öcalan

“Recently, protests by MPs have taken place [in Turkey]. Applications to go to Imrali to meet with Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] have also been made. All this is important. The MPs are now protesting in front of the Ministry of Justice. The place of the protest of the MPs is well-chosen. This institution must be addressed. Because it is one of the institutions that disseminates the information in question. Not only does it spread information, but it also prevents lawyers and families from meeting with Leader Apo and other prisoners in Imrali. We can clearly say that there is a game taking place and that tricks are being made. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to carry out such protests to clarify the situation, to insist on the applications for meetings [on Imrali] and to put pressure on the current administration and the institutions that are responsible for the way to and from Imrali.”

“There has been a state of uncertainty. Many suspicions have been spread. This, of course, has created serious concerns, anxiety and uncertainty. This situation of uncertainty which has increased our anxiety and worries continues. There have not been any changes. The situation is really serious. It is not a situation to be taken lightly. This is very challenging for the movement, all comrades, our people, patriots and international friends. Everyone is on high alert, basically not sleeping. There is a great sensitivity with regards to this issue. It has been 21 months since there has not been any contact, no information [from Abdullah Öcalan]. This is not acceptable. No one should expect the Kurdish people to accept this. We are talking about a nation of 40 million people. The will of this nation is at stake. These people are waging a struggle. They have given 50 thousand martyrs for this cause. Today they are filled with great anxiety and huge worries.”

“Some institutions, the CPT [European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment] for example, have recently been criticized. Their current attitude is really not understandable. If there is really no danger, this situation should not continue. But since it does, this means that there really is a dangerous situation. This has increased our anxiety, worries, anger and protests. Society has recently shown its anger clearly. The sensitivities of this society are important. Respecting these sensitivities would not make the CPT cease to be an institution. There is no need for the CPT to insist so much that this would break its institutional rules. At least they could have respected these sensitivities. They are dealing with a society, not just any person, institution, party or organization. There is a society they are faced with and this society is being subjected to genocide.”

Partnership of European powers with fascism in Turkey

“The European institutions are carrying out more attacks in support of Turkey instead of creating some clarity and of assuring that the laws work in Turkey. Germany has recently arrested Kurdish patriots. They attack Kurdish houses and loot the centers of Kurdish associations. If these powers do such things, AKP-MHP fascism will of course do anything. It does not obey any law or moral rules. Therefore, these powers are indeed complicit in what is happening in Turkey and Imrali. European institutions, namely the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the CPT, the ECHR do not intervene. We have always said and will say again and again that this constitutes support for genocide. The AKP-MHP´s mentality and politics are fascist and genocidal. They try to take revenge on Leader Apo and are carrying out all kinds of attacks and a Kurdish genocide. The international conspiracy [imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan in 1999] also constitutes a genocide attack. For 24 years, the Imrali system has continued as a genocide system. The isolation [of Abdullah Öcalan] is a genocide attack. They continue all kinds of hostile behavior without following any moral or legal rules. And Europe is a partner in all this. Maybe Europe even encourages Turkey to do this. We don’t know. We are skeptical and have our doubts with regards to this issue.”

Increased struggle for Abdullah Öcalan´s freedom in coming months

“We will increase our struggle even more. Many relevant organizations have called for exactly this. There is movement abroad and in all four parts of Kurdistan. The society in North Kurdistan and Turkey is mobilizing. The Leadership [Abdullah Öcalan] is in Turkey, in North Kurdistan. It is therefore necessary to march to Imrali. More protests need to happen there. We would like to salute the ongoing struggle. There is an important level of sensitivity and struggle. Yet, we must not be satisfied with what we have. Instead, we need to increase the struggle even more. We must make it more versatile and richer. We must force the powers that don’t even live up to their own laws to obey certain rules. For this to happen, we should not stop for a single second. There must be more unity. We must spread the ideas of the Leadership more among other peoples, women and young people. We need to try to understand Leader Apo even better. And we need to increase the struggle for the minimum rules of law to be applied against the Imrali system of torture, isolation and genocide. Therefore, I would like to repeat our call on this basis.”

Recent major defeat of Turkish Army in South Kurdistan/North Iraq

“The war with its center in [the South Kurdish regions] Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna is now in its 9th month. It has spread everywhere to a certain extent. The attacks continue from Gever to Istanbul. On this basis, I would like to especially salute the guerrilla forces in Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna and congratulate them on their success once again. I would also like to commemorate the heroic martyrs of this resistance with respect, love and gratitude. The war is now entering the year 2023. Those who wanted to achieve results in a week or two have now been fighting for months and years. Now, they find themselves in a desperate situation. The war balance sheet for the last 8 months has been published: First of all, all of the Turkish state´s plans have failed. Secondly, they have got stuck there. Thirdly, they are struggling, are desperate and have no solution. They don’t know what to do now. They need to withdraw but are incapable of doing so. Therefore, they are suffering more and more casualties, and there will be even more. All this has already taken that long but they haven´t had any success. Moreover, the Turkish army had to flee from many places [in South Kurdistan]. It has been unable to carry out the occupation. It will get hit even harder and will have to abandon even more places in the coming months. This will not only lead to the end of AKP-MHP fascism. It will also bring about the end of Turkey´s fascist, colonialist, genocidal mentality and politics. This is the goal of this resistance. It is achieving this goal step by step. Some people did not believe us when we said that the Turkish state would be defeated in Zap and Metîna just as the Islamic State [IS] was defeated in Kobanê. Now this has become obvious. The war balance sheets and statements clearly reveal that the Turkish state, AKP-MHP fascism and the fascist, colonialist, genocidal mentality and politics have indeed been defeated in Zap, Avaşîn, Metîna and all over the Medya Defense Areas, against the resistance of the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla. Since they have been defeated there, since they are helpless and have reached a dead end, they now attack the people, women and the democratic political arena. Every week, they attack the civilian population in South Kurdistan and Rojava. And they use chemical weapons, tactical nuclear weapons and commit all kinds of war crimes in order to save themselves from this defeat.”

Need for strong democratic struggle to overcome blockage by Turkish regime

“In Turkey and North Kurdistan, they have done everything they could. They recently attacked the press and artists. Now they are attacking democratic politics. They have imprisoned the co-chairs of the Democratic Regions Party [DPB] and all its provincial co-chairs. They have increased their pressure and torture to the utmost. They have intensified the Imrali torture and genocide system. Why? Because they had been defeated in Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna. If AKP-MHP fascism had succeeded in its war against the guerrilla forces there, it would not have attacked the press, artists, parties and women. They have arrested so many women. They attack women as if they were taking revenge. Just like they attacked Leader Apo in Imrali. Because all their abusive faces have been exposed and their masks have fallen off.”

“The responsibility for the organized arrests and attacks that have recently taken place is not only limited to the AKP-MHP. There is not much protest from the opposition either. There is no sound from those who claim to be an alternative to the AKP-MHP government, especially the CHP. They are supposedly going to overthrow fascism and bring democracy to Turkey. Have you raised your voice against AKP-MHP fascism’s attacks on the Kurdish people, the Alevi community, the revolutionary democratic forces, women and youth? But they still say: “I am a democrat, I will bring democracy.” No one believes that. And there are also those who support the AKP-MHP government from outside. They are holding meeting after meeting. In order to save Turkey, both Russia and the USA are offering their support. NATO is doing the same. The attacks on the Kurds and Kurdish institutions in Amed [Diyarbakir], Ankara and Germany are happening simultaneously and on the basis of the same plan. We can see this clearly. The AKP-MHP is doing all this and the German administration is not very different. They have an agreement with each other. They are trying to save the AKP-MHP. It seems that these attacks will increase even more. The US, the European Union, Russia and other foreign powers are saying: “These attacks will weaken the PKK and the AKP-MHP will be worn out. Therefore, we will prepare the CHP and the forces called the `Table of Six´.” The foreign powers hoped that they would be able to create a new government in Turkey in a soft way in order to pursue their own interests. But the resistance in Zap has destroyed these games. It has not given AKP-MHP fascism the opportunity to extend its power but has defeated it instead. It has also not allowed the foreign powers to replace the AKP-MHP through a soft transition and to create an alternative fascist colonialist government.”

“This has created a blockage. In other words, the general blockage of the system constitutes mainly in Turkey and Syria. This is, of course, structural, but with some tricks and smooth transitions, the system will want to overcome these blockages. It will try to deceive society by saying that it has brought new administrations to power. But the PKK does not allow this to happen. The guerrilla resistance has not allowed this. Now everyone is desperate and without a solution. It is not clear what will happen. So what is next? Both of them [government and ´Table of Six´-opposition] must collapse and an alternative that will carry Turkey to real democracy must develop. The way is open to the HDP, other democratic parties, the Labor and Freedom Alliance, and all the forces that truly believe in democracy. In other words, when the AKP-MHP looses power, a force like the CHP cannot replace it. A real democratic power must take over. What will really change when the CHP replaces the AKP? But change is necessary in Turkey. And this can only happen through real democratization. To prevent this, the AKP-MHP government is attacking with all its might and is cooperating with international powers. The CHP also participates in all this, just like foreign powers do.”

“So what is needed now? We need to acknowledge this reality and become more combative. The forces that really say they are democrats must unite, they must fight to overthrow fascism. They must carry the victory of the guerrillas which have defeated AKP-MHP fascism in Zap, Avaşîn, Metîna and all over Kurdistan, to the arenas of political struggle, social struggle, ideological struggle, art and literature. For this, it is necessary to fight in a more organized and multifaceted way. The upcoming elections should definitely be understood as such a struggle. It is absolutely necessary to unify the political and military developments. There is absolutely no election detached from these developments. Therefore, what needs to be done now is to increase the struggle more and unite more. The divisions must be overcome. Small things should not be made an issue. More alliances, relations and unity must develop in the women’s movement, the youth movement and democratic politics. The resistance of the guerrillas and in the prisons must be supported even more. We need to fight more against these fascist attacks. Fascism will always attack. If there is no pressure, we need to doubt ourselves. If a fascist dictatorship does not attack us, we should be worried about what we are doing. These attacks are proof that you are struggling.”