Mustafa Karasu, member of the KCK Executive Council spoke about the isolation being imposed on Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the concessions asked to the Kurdish Movement by the Turkish state. 

Karasu said that the demands by the Turkish state reveal the lack of intention to seriously committing to finding a real and democratic solution to the Kurdish question, which must inevitably entail Imrali.

The total lack of communication with the leader of the Kurdish people, Abdullah Öcalan, continues. Last week, Bese Hozat, co-chair of the KCK Executive Council, shared new information in this regard. What does this information mean for the struggle against isolation?

The information that Comrade Bese announced was indeed important. When this information reached us, we were really outraged. It became clear once again that the Turkish state does not recognize this movement, nor does it recognize Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan]. Also, it was revealed once again that the Turkish state is a blackmailing state. They try to blackmail us through Rêber Apo. 'We can make him meet with his family and his lawyer, but only if this and that are done,' they say. This clearly shows that they have no interest in granting him his legal rights.

The way in which they make such an ‘offer’, shows clearly that they have no intention of negotiating. Of course, they know that this offer will most likely not be accepted, it is incorrect to assume otherwise; they know our movement well. Making such an offer is an immoral step. Of course, this offer, this blackmail, was rejected by our movement. This is the attitude of the PKK, the attitude of Rêber Apo, and the attitude of our people. Our people, leadership, and movement have shown for 50 years that we have been waging a great struggle for freedom and democracy, an honorable struggle. It is clear to everyone that such blackmail would be rejected. However, why are they making such an offer and showing such an approach? In reality, they are being forced. As we stated before, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) is being forced to take steps and make some statements. The Turkish state is also being forced, so it wants to negotiate on unrealistic terms, knowing its conditions will not be met, in order to portray the PKK as the unwilling party.

Our movement immediately rejected the Turkish state's offer

Of course, such approaches carry no weight. Our people and their friends around the world know how sensitive our movement is to Rêber Apo. The issue we are most sensitive about is Rêber Apo. I can easily claim that no people or movement in history has ever embraced its leader to such an extent. Indeed, the level of our people’s embrace of our leader has been very high. It was the devotion of our martyrs and sacrifices to the leader that created this.

Our movement has been waging a struggle with great devotion to this leader for fifty years. It showed great devotion to the leader, even after he was taken into captivity. It walked on the path that he had paved and did not show the slightest hesitation in this regard. Yes, after our leader was abducted, liquidators who emerged from among us tried to abandon the path of the leader. But our movement took a firm stance against this. That is why the CPT and the Turkish state are experiencing such pressure. Of course, our movement immediately rejected this recent offer.

Why would they think we would accept such an offer? Do they think we are that weak? Of course, our movement rejected it. Comrade Bese clearly pointed out our attitude. We will struggle for our leader to gain his legal rights to meet with his lawyers and family, that is, for the lifting of isolation and the realization of Rêber Apo’s freedom. This struggle will continue to grow, and in the course of it, the lawyers and family will definitely be allowed to meet with him. Not only will the meeting be ensured, but the way to the physical freedom of our leader will also be paved. Everyone needs to be aware of this.

Turkey sees Rêber Apo as its biggest enemy

Of course, the CPT and the Turkish state are trying to prevent our struggle. The United Nations (UN) and its related institutions held a meeting on this issue, in which the Turkish state was in denial, claiming that it does not impose isolation. It stated that there are only some prohibitions in place, or more precisely, that there are prohibitions based on disciplinary penalties. This is, of course, demagogy. The whole world knows that this is false. Our people know; everyone knows. Why is it that the leader is taking so many disciplinary penalties? What do they claim that our leader is doing? We know him, and we know his approach. He would not take any approach that would lead to disciplinary punishment.

Of course, for them, Rêber Apo is the biggest enemy. He is the one who launched the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom. He educated the Kurdish people. He is the one who has kept the struggle going until today. They are angry at him for this. This is the reason why they punish him. That`s why these disciplinary punishments are being thrown around without justification. They are fabricated; they file some disciplinary punishments just so he is not granted his fundamental human rights.

Our struggle against this continues and will continue in the future. The statements of the Turkish state at that meeting in Europe were ridiculous. Nobody believed them. That’s why the delegations there are asking so many questions of the Turkish delegation. However, it should not be forgotten that all individuals who are part of these delegations are part of the concept of special warfare. None of them are people who really care about law, justice and such things. The Deputy Director General of the Detention Houses was there. Deputy Directors General of Detention Houses are usually men of special warfare, men of the state. They manage prisons on the instructions of that state, not the Ministry of Justice. I mean, yes, they operate under the Ministry of Justice, but there is a special team there, they run them.

When it comes to Rêber Apo, there are exclusive laws and one-man regulations

Rêber Apo has been in captivity for 26 years. The other day, Ercan Kanar, one of the first lawyers of Rêber Apo, was making an assessment. He was evaluating whether aggravated life imprisonment is unlawful and that Rêber Apo needs to be released. He pointed out that the law based on which Rêber Apo is still imprisoned was enacted after he was abducted and therefore would not be legally applicable. That is to say, laws are not being applied according to the notion of legality. Accordingly, the application of this law against Rêber Apo is invalid.

In Turkey, when it comes to Rêber Apo, there are exclusive laws and one-man regulations. In other words, all practices are directed solely against Rêber Apo. No practice against him has anything to do with the law, the constitution, or the bylaws. They are the policies of state policy, Kurdish enmity, and hostility towards Rêber Apo. We will continue the struggle against these policies of the Turkish state.

There is already a lot of pressure, but yes, we will increase it even more. We will continue our struggle everywhere. For us, the struggle to physically liberate Rêber Apo and the struggle for the liberation of the Kurdish people are intertwined. In this respect, we will raise this struggle even more. As Comrade Bese said, we will raise our struggle even more. Our people will do this. We will definitely liberate Rêber Apo. This is our promise to our people and to history.

19 July 2012, marks the anniversary of the revolution in Rojava. This revolution has left behind 12 years at great cost. What role does the Rojava Revolution play for the people of the Middle East and the world?

I commemorate with gratitude and respect the tens of thousands of martyrs who kept the Rojava Revolution alive till today. I also salute our tens of thousands of veterans. Indeed, the Rojava Revolution has been a great development and a very important step. Its importance will be understood even more in the future. There is a saying that my friend Fuat always says: “The fish who swim in the sea do not know the sea.” Now, the greatness of the Rojava Revolution has not been sufficiently grasped even by those who carried it out, or those who are in it. This will be grasped more in the future. Of course, the Rojava Revolution is a revolution of Rêber Apo.

Without Rêber Apo's efforts, the Rojava Revolution wouldn't have happened

For 20 years, Rêber Apo had been struggling there. He educated the people of Rojava; he educated the Kurds and thereby created a new mentality, life, and philosophy of struggle. As a result of this, the new Kurdish personality, thousands of Kurdish youth, men and women, joined the guerrilla. This, of course, also had a great effect on society. In other words, I want to say that without the efforts of Rêber Apo, the Rojava Revolution would not have happened. The Rojava Revolution was achieved by the people shaped by him. This reality needs to be seen. Everyone should know that the path has been paved by Rêber Apo.

Rojava is a place where the thoughts of Rêber Apo have found the opportunity to be put into practice. Yes, you put forward a theory, an ideology, and you propagandize it. This is important because, of course, it has certain affects. But where will you see how true, good, realistic, and useful it is for humanity, for society, or for the Kurdish people? You will see it in practice. In this respect, the Rojava Revolution is a very important field of practice in terms of the practicalization of Rêber Apo’s thoughts, feelings, philosophy, and paradigm.

The thoughts and paradigm of Rêber Apo are not yet fully implemented. There are still inadequacies, but even as far as they are implemented now, they have changed society and influenced the world. Here is the women’s revolution, the understanding of a democratic nation, the non-powerist mentality, etc. These are very important. Undoubtedly, there is still an imperialist mentality in Rojava, but the paradigm of Rêber Apo is working on its dismantling. A revolution has emerged, a new way of life emerged, and a new form of self-governance emerged. A government in Rojava, North, and East Syria cannot be something that deems itself as ‘above the people’. There can never be a state there because there are people who have learned this paradigm.

Liberation of women is essential

The Rojava Revolution is shaped by this paradigm. The realization of such a revolution, especially in the Middle East, means great enlightenment. The Middle East is reforming and entering some form of renaissance. It breaks many taboos in the Middle East; it breaks the narrow understanding of nationalism and the fanatical understanding of religion. The reality of all kinds of religions living together and all kinds peoples living together emerged. It is very important that the understanding of ensuring the co-existence of peoples, religions, beliefs, and different cultures take root in the Middle East.

Again, the liberation of women is essential. States and powers have developed their power based on the enslavement of women. In the very geography where the first state emerged, where the first human crisis emerged, the domination over women, there this crisis inevitably intensifies. It was first shaped here. The women’s revolution is also turning that upside down. It creates a great revolutionary development.

Society has changed a lot since a new mentality was created. We see this clearly in Rojava. Although it has its shortcomings and inadequacies, of course it belongs to a society; that is, there is no such ruling power that wants to oppress society. Yes, there are some statist approaches, but there is still a conscious, democratic society standing for women’s freedom, and women have an important influence there. This is very important and changes everything. Women’s freedom has such power. It is not like other forms of freedom or other forms of democratization. Women’s freedom and democratization affect and change all aspects of life. It is an important transformative power, and the world is affected by it.

The Rojava Revolution has had a great impact on the world

The women’s liberation movement in the world has reached a new stage in the last 10–20 years. If it weren’t for the paradigm of Rêber Apo if it wasn’t for the concrete practicalization of this paradigm in Rojava, the women’s liberation movement would not have developed so rapidly. At the moment, the women’s movement in the world is putting forward a very intense and accelerated line of struggle. It is increasingly trying to influence societies everywhere. The Rojava Revolution has had a great impact on this. In this respect, of course, we need to embrace the Rojava Revolution strongly and shape it with the paradigm of Rêber Apo.

Of course, there are also enemies to this process. For example, the Turkish state is one of these enemies. In the face of this, there must be a great deal of preparation for resistance and war in Rojava. In the early days of the revolution, Rêber Apo pointed out the necessity of preparing for resistance and war. The people directly started investing in big and tall buildings; they started to focus on material value. Rêber Apo criticized this and pointed out the necessity of preparing for being attacked. 'Shape everything according to the upcoming resistance and war,' he said. This still needs to be done. Society needs to be prepared for such a struggle. The Rojava Revolution can only be sustained by a struggle based on society. It cannot survive if the fight is just left for the YPG, YPJ, or SDF. That’s not how it works. A line of struggle and resistance that goes beyond this must be put forward.

12 years is a very long time. The Mahabad Republic, for example, just managed to sustain itself for 6 months. Rojava has already survived 24 times as long. This has brought about a great deal of change and development in society. It has tasted freedom. It also tasted a sense of identity and culture. In this respect, it will protect the Rojava Revolution by resisting all kinds of attacks.