People's Defence Centre (HSM) Headquarters Command released a written statement to mark Kurdish New Year, Newroz, on March 21.

The statement released on Thursday includes the following:

“The freedom march of the Apoist group, which aims to abolish colonialism in Kurdistan based on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan's remark that "Kurdistan is a colony", is entering its 50th year. As our party emphasized in the PKK's 50th Anniversary Declaration, our leader Öcalan started the freedom march on a meaningful Newroz day, which represents rebellion against oppression, slavery and colonialism. He has been continuing his outstanding struggle for 24 years under the Imrali Torture System. We commemorate all our precious martyrs with respect and gratitude in the persons of the Great Martyrs of Newroz, comrades Mazlum Doğan, Mahsum Korkmaz, Zekiye Alkan and Rahşan Demirel. To mark Newroz, we congratulate the Kurdish leader Öcalan, our esteemed families of martyrs, all our comrades who carry out activities in every field, our self-sacrificing and patriotic people, our people's friends and all peoples who believe in the Newroz tradition.

As the Apoist movement, we are welcoming our 50th anniversary with the spirituality that emerged with Öcalan's great Imrali Resistance, with the instructions we received from our martyrs, with the serhildan (uprising) spirit of the people of Kurdistan in Newroz, with the enlightenment of Öcalan’s philosophy, with the values ​​created during the half-century-long struggle and with a level of militancy which is more self-sacrificing, determined and victorious than ever before. As the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas, we are welcoming our 50th Leadership Newroz with the determination to physically liberate our leader Öcalan. We held our HPG and YJA Star Command Council meetings, made our preparations, and finalized our New Year's strategy and planning. Our 40-year guerrilla struggle and especially the experience we gained during the conflicts in 2021, the new guerrilla warfare and the Apoist self-sacrificing spirit give hints that we will win in a better way at the 50th Newroz.

As the Kurdistan People's Defence Forces, which vow to fight selflessly based on our army of immortal martyrs and Öcalan’s ideology, we state that we are determined to fight ferociously until we crown our goal of Free Leader-Free Kurdistan with victory. We greet our people and their friends, who celebrate the Newroz in the tradition of Serhildan, from the mountains of Kurdistan. We once again celebrate Newroz and wish all the forces fighting for freedom great success in the 50th Newroz year of the Apoist movement."