In the second part of Yeni Ozgur Political's interview with KCK Executive Council Co-chair Besê Hozat, touting peace in the war of hegemony over Ukraine, staying silent about the war against the Kurds, the situation in Shengal, the AKP and KDP's plan, and the attempt to close the HDP. There are many issues, especially a call to the Kurds living in Europe.

The first part of the interview can be read here.

Turkey seems to be benefiting from the war in Ukraine at the moment. Is it possible that Turkey launched its attack on South Kurdistan at such a time independently of the U.S.?

In the war between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has clearly taken a position on the side of NATO. This is because Erdoğan had already initiated a political U-turn earlier in order to gain U.S. and European support for his genocidal policy against the Kurds and to secure his power. He has been working hard for some time to improve relations with Israel, the Gulf states, Egypt, Greece and Armenia. He has also always kept his relations with Ukraine intact. Erdoğan has provided Ukraine with extensive arms shipments, particularly armed and unarmed drones. Before the war in Ukraine, the two countries manufactured drones together. Although Erdoğan sends positive signals toward Russia from time to time to maintain the existing balance, he has always been acted in accordance with U.S. and NATO interests. His recent decision to close Turkish airspace to Russia was a logical consequence of his close relations with NATO. Thus, Erdoğan intends to gain even more U.S. and NATO support for his genocidal policy against the Kurds. He assumes that Russia will make efforts to maintain its relationship with Turkey, as it is currently facing great pressure and heavy attacks. Erdoğan is trying to profit from his relations with Russia in this context. He is using Turkey's geostrategic position to benefit from the United States and Russia, both of which attach great importance to Turkey's position. In this course, he has significantly increased the genocide of the Kurds and his occupation attacks. It is obvious that the recent attack on [the South Kurdish region of] Zap has been carried out within the framework of this political conjuncture.

The U.S. and Europe have not taken any stance against this occupation so far. The very forces that accuse Russia of occupying another country and indulge in huge indignation over it have not a single word to say about the Turkish state's occupation and genocidal attacks. Those who condemn the occupation carried out by Russia turn deaf and mute when it comes to Turkey's occupation and genocidal attacks. We strongly criticize this mendacious and dirty policy of the USA and Europe. With their current stance, the U.S. and Europe are making themselves complicit in the genocide of the Kurdish people and are committing human rights crimes. The Turkish army is using chemical weapons in Kurdistan. The use of chemical weapons constitutes a war crime. While Biden calls for Putin to be tried in The Hague, he remains silent on Turkey's use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish people. Why are you silent on the Turkish state's use of chemical weapons? All those who participate in this genocide will be remembered by humanity only with contempt.

Just as the occupation attacks on Rojava took place with the approval of the USA, today the occupation of South Kurdistan is also taking place with US approval. The U.S. pursues two goals. First, with the help of NATO member Turkey, it wants to secure its presence and interests in the region, increase its influence on the ground, and in this way implement its Iran, Middle East, and Central Asia policies as smoothly as possible. The second and ultimately decisive reason for this policy lies in the U.S. goal of breaking the influence of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement. By continuing the International Conspiracy, the USA is trying to eliminate the leadership of our Freedom Movement and to use the values created by this struggle to serve its own interests. The attitude of the USA can be described as follows: `No to Önder Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] and the PKK. Yes to the values created by the freedom struggle as long as they benefit US interests.` The US silence on the genocidal attacks of the Turkish state is a result of the US support for this very policy. If the U.S. wants, it can close Iraqi airspace to Turkey. This is because Iraq's airspace is used with the permission of the US. Iraq is not acting independently of the US. Yet, at the same time, the US opens Iraqi airspace to Turkish warplanes.

The Iraqi government has built a wall along the border with Rojava. Recently, strong Iraqi forces and heavy weapons were also deployed to Şengal [Sinjar]. So there's the newly built wall on the one hand and the attempts to disarm the YBŞ [Sinjar Resistance Units] and YJŞ [Sinjar Women Units] on the other. What is your assessment of these developments?

There are absolutely no problems between the Iraqi people and the Ezidis or Şengal. Only the Kadhimi government has a problem with Şengal. Because of its relations with Turkey, the U.S., and the KDP, the Kadhimi government takes an aggressive stance toward Şengal. In a sense, it is attacking Şengal on behalf of Turkey and KDP. Kadhimi is thus fulfilling the promises he has made to Turkey and KDP. Without the consent of Turkey and KDP, the Kadhimi government could never build a wall along the border between Şengal and Rojava or install barbed wire barriers there. Cutting off the connection between Şengal and Rojava would undoubtedly amount to encircling Şengal and Rojava. The encirclement of Şengal is being enforced at the instigation of Turkey and the KDP. There are reports that even the concrete blocks and all other materials necessary for the construction of the wall were provided by Turkey and that the KDP also provided support. This wall is thus a continuation of the wall that Turkey has built along its border with Rojava. The fact that Kadhimi's attacks on Şengal coincided with Turkey's occupation attacks on Zap fuels concerns that all of this was done on the basis of joint plans with Turkey and KDP. In this way, Kadhimi is providing legitimacy to the Turkish state's attacks on South Kurdistan and at the same time trying to put pressure on Şengal's administration and break its will in order to force Şengal's people, their [internal security forces] Asayish and the YBŞ to surrender.

Turkey and the KDP are trying to create enmity between Iraq and the Ezidis. However, this policy has absolutely no benefit for Iraq and Kadhimi. Making the Ezidis hostile to Iraq does nothing at all for the country, but only causes it massive damage. The Ezidis are among the most oppressed communities in human history. They have already suffered 74 genocides. The last of these genocides occurred when the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga surrendered Şengal to the Islamic State [IS] [in 2014]. Iraq and the KDP have made themselves guilty toward the Ezidis and must therefore take a self-critical stance. The Iraqi government and the KDP must first account for the last genocide against the Ezidis. They must take the demands of the Ezidis seriously on the basis of the Iraqi constitution and a basic democratic attitude. Iraq's most appropriate self-criticism toward the Ezidis is to officially recognize the Şengal Autonomous Administration.

Why should it hurt Iraq if Şengal is administered by the People's Council of Şengal and this People's Council has its own Asayish forces? This would significantly increase Iraq's prestige and strengthen the country's democracy and unity. Recognition of the current Şengal administration is also a logical necessity stemming from the Iraqi constitution. The constitution gives all of Iraq's religious and ethnic communities the right to govern themselves. This right is clearly guaranteed by the Iraqi constitution. If the Iraqi state and the Kadhimi government put these guarantees of the Iraqi constitution into practice and recognize Şengals' self-administration, they will gain the support and respect of the Ezidis and thus significantly increase their strength.

The people of Şengal have shown a very impressive attitude against the recent attacks. In defense of their freedom and dignity, they have protectively rallied around their military forces. This dignified stance deserves great respect. The women of Şengal stood in the forefront during this resistance and thereby sent very meaningful messages. As long as the Ezidi women maintain this dignified attitude filled with a great passion for freedom, the Ezidis will win their rights and freedoms and protect their existence and self-administration. This attitude will also ensure that the KDP's plans to depopulate Şengal and use the refugee camps [of Ezidi refugees] for its own interests with the help of its special war methods will come to nothing.

The KDP is currently using the tensions in Şengal to intensify its psychological warfare. It is mobilizing all its resources to literally abduct the population from Şengal. For years, the KDP has been using the Ezidi refugee camps for its own political interests. It holds the Ezidis hostage in these camps and uses them to receive money from international institutions and secure votes for itself in elections. At the same time, it turns these camps into weapons against Şengal by organizing Ezidi youth living there as armed groups.

This is exactly the same policy that the AKP has been pursuing in Turkey for years. It has intensified the war in Syria and brought the refugees from that country to Turkey. For years, it has been conducting politics on the backs of these refugees. With this 'refugee weapon', the AKP has been blackmailing Europe. In this way, the AKP lets Europe fulfill all its wishes and even receives money for this. It has organized thousands of members of Islamist proxy forces in these camps and has used them in the war against the Kurds. The KDP has learned this policy from the AKP, with whom it collaborates. For years, the KDP has used the Ezidi camps as political leverage against Iraq and many other countries around the world.

For quite some time, the KDP has been using the Ezidi identity of Viyan Daxil and has made her a part of its special war. Viyan Daxil should not let herself be used in such an easy way. She should not insult her own society and values just to satisfy the collaborating KDP. Hoşyar Zebari, one of the dirtiest members of the KDP, also seems to have completely forgotten his own betrayal and has been attacking the Ezidis again and again recently. We trust in the justice and conscience that characterize human history. The day will definitely come when Hoşyar Zebari and all the others will be held accountable to the Ezidis and the Kurdish people.

The AKP had originally planned to hold early elections after the success of the Garê operation [in February 2021]. Now it has launched a new war of occupation. The possibility of early elections [in Turkey] continues to be vividly discussed. Do you think early elections will actually happen?

Turkey has actually been in an election campaign for quite some time. But developments in the country are not just aimed at elections. Rather, the elections are part of a comprehensive plan. The plan is to bring the genocide of the Kurds to a conclusion, and then to institutionalize AKP-MHP fascism and put it on a constitutional footing. Therefore, the elections scheduled for 2023, whether they will be held early or not, are being approached very strategically. Whether the elections are held a few months earlier or later depends on the atmosphere that the AKP-MHP fascist government can exploit for itself and the results it achieves in the current war. As soon as this government thinks it has achieved the desired results through its attacks, it will immediately hold new elections. This is absolutely clear.

For the AKP-MHP government, the year 2023 has an extremely historic significance. This is because this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne. It also marks the anniversary of the division of Kurdistan into four parts and the recognition of the policy of denial and annihilation against the Kurdish people. At the same time, 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the genocidal, colonialist and fascist Turkish nation-state system. The AKP-MHP government intends to crush the Kurdistan Freedom Movement on the 100th anniversary of Lausanne and the founding of the Republic in order to bring the genocide of the Kurds to a conclusion. It dreams of achieving this goal in order to subsequently win the elections and, with the help of a new constitution tailored to a fascist dictatorship, secure the genocidal and colonialist Turkish nation-state system for a long time to come. For this reason, the character and objectives of the coming elections are very different from the past elections.

The attack on Zap , which the occupying army launched from the air on April 14 and also from the ground on April 17, is the most decisive link of this very comprehensive plan. The aim of this attack is to completely crush the Kurdistan Freedom Movement and annex all of South Kurdistan and Rojava.