Sabri Ok, a member of the Executive Council of the Community of Kurdistan Societies (KCK) spoke about the international conspiracy that led to the abduction of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan. 

We are approaching the 25th anniversary of the 15th February International Conspiracy against Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. What were the reasons and aims of the conspiracy? How does the conspiracy continue today?

As an indebted comrade, I send my greetings to Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan]. During the conspiracy, dozens of our imprisoned comrades and friends in all four parts of Kurdistan and abroad set their bodies on fire. In the person of comrades Halit Oral, Aynur Artan, and Sema Yüce, I commemorate everyone who, under the ‘You cannot darken our sun’ campaign, gave their lives during these actions.

Our people, our movement, and our international friends should understand well the reasons, aims, and method of the International Conspiracy which is continuing today. On the 2nd anniversary of the conspiracy, when the lawyers went to Rêber Apo, they said, “There are a few days left until the anniversary of the conspiracy. The people want to  mourn.” Rêber Apo smiled and said, “They should not mourn; they should learn lessons from this conspiracy, draw conclusions, and everyone should know their role very well.”

This is the truth, we must understand this very well. When we look at the history of the Kurdish people and their revolts, they have always faced conspiracies. Rebellions were either started prematurely through conspiracy or conspiracies were made by playing with the honest and sincerity personalilties of the Kurdish people. Leaders of those rebellions were martyred through execution or other methods. This is how the occupiers and genocidal and conspiratorial forces achieved results. They thought that they would also gain results from the 15 February conspiracy against Rêber Apo. But this was not achieved.

During the conspiracy, great developments were taking place in the Middle East. America wanted to intervene in Iraq; Afghanistan was on the agenda. For example, the ‘Greater Middle East Project’ was also being prepared. All these were preparations, plans, and projects of the international powers towards the Middle East. The struggle of our movement and our people had reached a certain level, and despite the support and assistance of all international powers, the occupying Turkish state could not achieve results against us.

The movement was developing in every sense, which created a problem for the international powers. This problem was either to be solved somehow or to be destroyed and neutralized. They were going to light the fuse for this. The USA, Britain, and Israel had already stated that a new process had begun in the Middle East when the conspiracy took place. Rêber Apo said that World War III had begun. One of the reasons for the conspiracy was the intervention in the Middle East, and the other was to solve the Kurdish question on the basis of Rêber Apo’s paradigm. This did not align with the plans of the capitalist powers. Therefore, they wanted to intervene in Iraq by risking World War III to realize the ‘Greater Middle East Project’ and neutralize the Kurdish issue.

The first stage of the conspiracy was the handover of Rêber Apo to the Turkish state; the second stage was the disintegration of the PKK; and the third stage was the neutralization of Rêber Apo over time. They approached the PKK with such schemes. These external powers wanted to create alternatives for their own benefits. People who had never shed a drop of blood or made any effort for the Kurdish people saw this as an opportunity. They wanted to disband the party by driving people away from it, but they failed. Nevertheless, the conspiracy was realized. Rêber Apo spoke about false friends in this regard. He revealed the hypocrisy of Greece, the hypocrisy of the USSR, and the true face of the forces of capitalist modernity. Again, the necessities of comradeship were not fulfilled.

When the conspiracy happened, everyone was shocked at first. Everywhere the Kurdish people lived, especially in the prisons, many people carried out self-sacrifice actions under the ‘You cannot darken our sun’ campaign for the future of themselves and the movement. Rêber Apo’s greatness must be seen here. He took responsibility, saw the situation of the Kurdish people, and realized that the occupying forces were playing with the future of the Kurds. Without Rêber Apo, the struggle of the Kurdish people would have been defeated again. That is why Rêber Apo took responsibility; he took the most difficult decision and said, “I have to live.” Not for himself, but for the Kurdish people, for the Freedom Movement, he said, “I must frustrate this conspiracy.” Then he sent a message saying, “Enough is enough! The solution is not self-immolation and martyrdom. The blood of the martyrs must not remain on the ground; we must be worthy of them, but these actions must stop.”

With his intervention, Rêber Apo brought the movement to its senses and brought the process to a more correct agenda. He made a lot of political efforts. He created a new paradigm. This is how the conspiracy against Rêber Apo and our movement was frustrated. No one believed that it would come to naught. As a result of Rêber Apo’s resistance and efforts, the struggle has continued on for 25 years. No one should live a comfortable life without the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. The conspiracy continues today. Yes, the existence of Rêber Apo, the paradigm he developed, the fact that the movement could not be liquidated, and the uninterrupted continuation of the struggle are historical things, but Rêber Apo is still in prison. Therefore, the conspiracy continues with different methods.

On the 25th anniversary of the conspiracy, Kurdish People’s Leader Öcalan’s ideas and thoughts are being received with great enthusiasm and hope at the international level. What is the reason for the universalization of Mr Öcalan’s ideas and thoughts?

To answer this question, it is necessary to look at it from a historical perspective. Such influential ideas affect not only a region or a society, but the whole of humanity. This has always been the case in history. Sometimes these figures appeared as prophets, sometimes as philosophers, and left their mark on history. These come once every hundred years. Rêber Apo is also like this.

At the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, important developments took place in the world. After the collapse of real socialism and the formation of a polarized world, humanity fell into an ideological vacuum. After real socialism, there were many people who believed that there would be a revolution in Germany. When they saw that it did not happen, they fell into disbelief and comitted suicide. Such a psychology was created after the collapse of real socialism. People saw that there was nothing spiritual or ideological left to give them hope, morale, and motivation.

Rêber Apo was, of course, following the changes and transformations in the world, but he developed and deepened the paradigm on the prison island of Imrali. This was the greatest response to the conspiracy and the good news given to humanity. Rêber Apo gave hope to the people with the paradigm he developed. Those who were in search, who were under the oppression of capitalist modernity, and who did not know how to struggle against racism saw the answer to their questions in Rêber Apo’s paradigm. In particular, the system of ‘Democratic Modernity’ had a great impact after Rêber Apo’s prison writings were published and distributed in different languages. If women and young people anywhere in the world see hope in this paradigm, if they rise up on this basis, if they search for it, we should know very well that there is something very honorable here, an important strength, and nothing can prevent it.

When we look at it, from Bangladesh to Mexico, from the Middle East to all over the world, the voices of women are rising; they say that they see their freedom in this paradigm, in the reality of Rêber Apo. Reading and discussing the prison writings of Rêber Apo has a bigger impact on people than expected. Because this paradigm is the answer to everyone’s search. In the 21st century, the paradigm of Rêber Apo illuminates the future of people and humanity. Societies, especially women, see democratic and free life here. Therefore, the ideas and thoughts of Rêber Apo will spread more, will be loved, and will be more effective. This is a historical response to the conspiracy.

In order to end the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, on the one hand, prisoners in Kurdistan and Turkey are on hunger strike. On the other hand, Kurdish people and their international friends outside are organizing demonstrations. How do you evaluate this situation?

We evaluate the situation from time to time. The agenda of the Kurdish people is Rêber Apo. When the conspiracy of 15th February took place, the first self-sacrifice action was carried out by Halit Oral. Then these actions spread. Reflexes developed stronger in the prisons. Here I would like to salute all our comrades who are in resistance. And I can tell that when they organize themselves according to Rêber Apo, they will definitely achieve positive results. The prisons have an important role and mission. I think that the actions of prisoners will continue.

Outside, mothers have begun hunger strikes. I especially send my greetings and respect to them. Mothers who have reached that age are taking responsibility. I listened to a mother’s speech. She was about 70-80 years old and said: “We promised, we will either die or be successful. There is no option other than to be successful, we will resist until the end”. This is a spirit, a stance.

The important thing is that everyone should receive this message and think about how to respond to it. They should also think conscientiously. There are deficiencies at this point. Accordingly, I would like to say a few words especially for Kurdish youth. Universities are the pulse of society. How could these young people be so comfortable? How are they students, where is their energy? For example, they have decided to send a thousand postcards for Rêber Apo; of course it is very valuable, very important, I greet this decision. It is very important even if they throw a stone, it is very meaningful even if they take a small action against the enemy, or if they rise up. But young people need to be more radical, they need to rally around these mothers, it is not enough to just visit them. We are not going through normal days, we are experiencing extraordinary days. We do not know how Rêber Apo is doing, no news has been received for 3 years. There is nothing like this in the world. No one knows whether he is alive or not, what his health condition may be. This is a reason for the Kurdish youth to rise up. Our 50-year struggle has a history, it has thousands of martyrs, and still in the mountains of Kurdistan, honorable young women and men struggle and resist everyday with their heads held high. Every conscientious person must take a stand against oppression and injustice.

Of course we have hope. Mothers are on hunger strike, no news has been received from Rêber Apo for 3 years, Kurdish youth and Kurdish women must rise up against this situation. They should not be content with praying, throwing stones, or sending postcards. Yes, we respect all this, but more radical actions must be developed. The current period is a period that requires this. Our comrades in prison have been on hunger strike for more than two months, again, mothers in Kurdistan and Turkey are on hunger strike. These actions should develop more, have more participation and have more impact on the international arena and politics. Every Kurd should think, as a human being, when they put their heads down on their pillows in the evening; they should ask themselves the question ‘How should I play my role against this oppression, what should I do in the face of Rêber Apo’s situation, the hunger strike of the mothers, the guerrilla’s resistance against chemical weapons and the heavy blows to the enemy’. If there is a question somewhere, there will be an answer, there will be a search.