The Turkish state is trying to use the relatives of guerrilla fighters as a means of psychological warfare. While the regime has been unsuccessful with the vast majority of relatives, it has managed to gather a small group of family members in front of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) building in Amed (Diyarbakır). The families are demanding that the HDP "return" their children from the mountains. The demand is absurd in two ways, because on the one hand, the people in question joined the guerrillas on their own decision, and on the other hand, the HDP is not the contact for a request to the guerrillas. The campaign to criminalize the HDP and defame the Kurdish freedom movement also came about in most cases only through blackmail, misinformation and bribery.

One of the "reclaimed" guerrilla fighters is Berxwedan Argeş. He spoke to ANF about his motivation for taking to the mountains and told the following:

"My family's situation was fine so far. We lived in the state system. This situation seemed normal to us. But after a while, we gradually began to see the enemy. I began to understand and comprehend what kind of system this was that was imposed on the Kurds, and who the Kurds actually are. That's why I joined the guerrillas in 2019.

"No human life possible in the capitalist system"

The main reason why I joined the guerrilla is that I understood that the life I live in the system is not a human life and the essence of the capitalist system is against humanity. There is a dirty policy that is against the people, the Kurds and especially the Kurdish youth. When I began to learn about the life of the PKK, I became curious. After I understood it better, I joined it. Now I fight in the ranks of the People's Defense Forces (HPG).

"We live here in freedom and equality"

We live here in freedom and equality. Our life is a life in which each person can participate in his own way. Our struggle is not against the people, but against the system of capitalist modernity. We took up arms to end the dirty politics against society. When we lived in the state system, we did not understand real life. We lived in such a way that we did not know ourselves or our Kurdish identity. But after we came to the free mountains, we learned our identity as human beings, as Kurds and as individuals. We live an equal and free life in the mountains based on Rêber Apo's (Leader Abdullah Öcalan) philosophy of democratic nation.

"In the mountains we got to know ourselves"

For example, when we lived in the system, we could not speak Kurdish. The Kurdish language was disregarded. But after we came to the mountains, we learned about ourselves and our language, and now we use it. The statist system constantly tried to prevent this. All kinds of special war methods were used to prevent the Kurdish youth from doing so. Every possible form of corruption was used for this purpose. Therefore, life in the system seemed normal to us. But after a while you realize that it is not a normal life, it cannot even be called a life. If you stay in it, you suffocate. You understand that it is necessary to break out of that suffocation and take a step to breathe. So I took that step to save myself, and I came to the open mountains and breathed. Now I am fighting my freedom battle against evil in the ranks of the HPG. I fight for the freedom of my people.

In the ranks of the guerrilla there are friends of every identity. There is no such life as in the monistic Turkish state, where everything is based on one religion, one ethnicity and one language. There is a life here based on the philosophy of equal and free life. For example, we have friends from Europe and from different parts of the Middle East who come here and join. We live and fight together here, we become stronger by getting to know each other.

"The families should not be deceived by the enemy"

They take Kurdish families whose children have joined the guerrillas and drag them in front of the cameras, they bring them in front of the HDP and make them sit there. But why is this happening in Amed? Amed is the capital, the city of resistance, a place of struggle. This is about eliminating Amed's historical culture of resistance. That is why the families are put in front of the HDP building as a means of special war.

"We will continue our way until the end"

But they should know one thing very well, they will never be able to turn us away from our way, our struggle for freedom. We believe in the philosophy of Rêber Apo and draw our strength from it. In this philosophy we do not think about ourselves and our individual advantage. The basis of the Apoist philosophy is freedom, equality and the idea of a democratic nation. So our families should never be deceived, no matter what. Families are threatened and influenced by the state. But we will go our way to the end and continue our struggle.

"We fight not only for our families, but for all oppressed peoples"

I appeal to all families, especially young people: Don't be fooled by the regime's special war policy. They want us to return and live in this dirty system. They don't want the Kurds to recognize themselves. Therefore, the families should know that the heads of the Kurdish youth in the mountains will always be raised, they should feel a great pride. We are fighting this battle not only for our families, but for the entire Kurdish people, for all oppressed peoples. Therefore, my appeal is to all families, not just my own. They should not deceive themselves, nor should they allow others to deceive them. They must be aware of the state's policy.

"Look at the life in the PKK itself"

We know that some families were taken there with threats and that they are under the influence of psychological warfare. There are constant attempts to defame life in the PKK and to portray the PKK as terrorists. But we participate in this life and it is not as the state claims. All those who come here can see what this life really is. It is a life of freedom and equality. A human life. That is why our families should not fall for the lies of the enemy. It is my appeal to all Kurdish youth: see for yourselves, realize the reality of the special war of the state against the youth and do not accept this dirty policy. We did not accept it and came to the free mountains of Kurdistan.

"Come to the mountains"

All young people should oppose the oppression of the regime and choose the free life in the ranks of the guerrilla. Our families should be proud and upright. No matter what happens, this struggle will continue. Wherever there is an oppressed people, a society that wants freedom, we will fight alongside them.

"Do not forget the resistance and the crimes of the regime"

The families sitting in front of HDP in Amed should not forget the reality of Amed, the struggles and resistance of Amed. Especially, they should not forget the resistance of Sur between 2015 and 2016. They should not forget the massacres of the Turkish state. In Sur, Cizre and many other places, our houses and towns were destroyed, our people were murdered, young people were burned alive. No one should forget this. Therefore, Kurdish youth should always be full of hatred and anger towards the enemy. It should constantly reflect itself, analyze the reality and not turn its eyes away from what the enemy is doing."

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