Duran Kalkan, member of the Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), sees the recent hunger strike in Turkish prisons as both encouragement and criticism of their own actions.

On November 27, members of the PKK and PAJK went on hunger strike in Turkish prisons against the solitary confinement of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan.

In an interview with journalist Hoşeng Yılmaz broadcast by Medya Haber TV, Kalkan talked about the prisoners' struggle and said: “It is a great struggle to be able to exist and survive in prison anyway. They have now added the hunger strike to that. So they gave the resistance another dimension. You take part in the fight outside. They want to break the system of isolation and torture on Imrali and achieve chair Apo's [Abdullah Öcalan] physical freedom. Because the isolation on Imrali is also the isolation of all of us."

Motivation and criticism

Kalkan described the hunger strike has a inherent criticism of the actions of his party. “If we had been able to fight harder against the AKP/MHP fascism, then the comrades in prison would not be in such a difficult situation. I also see our responsibility. Everyone should realize that. Society should do that too. All democratic revolutionary forces should recognize this. We will work with all our strength to overcome our weaknesses. For us this is an issue up for self-criticism.

In addition, it is revolutionaries who resist in prisons. They have demands for the society, not for themselves. We have to support the prisoners. We cannot say: 'In prison there is repression and therefore there is action.' The revolutionaries in prison have a leading role. They understood before anyone else where we were heading to, both inside and outside the prisons, if the system of torture and isolation on Imrali is not broken. They want to destroy this system. They fight to save society from fascism. They fight for freedom.

In this situation it is not a question of supporting the prisoners, instead everyone must have the circumstances very clear, crush the AKP/MHP fascism and fight for freedom and democracy. You have to fight for yourself. Yes, let's get together and embrace the prison resistance, but let's keep in mind that we are fighting for ourselves too. If the prisoners can take action in such limited conditions, then the people outside can find thousands of more effective methods with the resources they have. You can develop even more diverse forms of action.

Erdoğan is under the control of fascist mercenary groups

Kalkan talked also about the discussion on “reforms” going on in Turkey: He things that, among other things, this discussion is a consequence of the election results in the USA. He also underlined the increasing problems within the governing coalition: “We have seen some tension in the relation between the AKP and the MHP. The MHP lost power and the unity of the AKP and MHP seemed to break up. Alaatin Çakıcı [a right-wing mafia boss] has practically issued a threat to Erdoğan. He understood the threat and ignored Bülent Arınç and others directly. He capitulated. In fact, he completely surrendered to MHP fascism. He is now under the control of fascist gangs."

"I hope that they will not make us regret our departure from Shengal"

Against the background of the occupation of Shengal, coordinated by the US, Turkey, the Iraqi central government and the KDP, Kalkan reiterated the need for self-government to continue in the region predominantly inhabited by Yazidis, and pointed out the discriminatory policies of the US and Iraq: “If you set out to destroy a society that was saved by the PKK from the genocide carried out by ISIS, you are certainly not a hero. Then you are a variant of ISIS, a shadow of ISIS. You are then part of ISIS. To be seen side by side with ISIS is not good for anyone. I hope they won't make us regret our departure from Shengal. That they will not force the PKK to intervene."

"Erdoğan's and Bahçeli's fascism will be crushed this year"

In the course of the interview, Kalkan also gave an assessment about the current situation of the campaign ‘End fascism, isolation and occupation: Time for freedom’: “The mountains, the cities, the prisons, all corners of the earth have become places of resistance. That needs to be expanded further. The contribution from the prisons is very important. The prisoners have always brought us victories. Democratic politics is in resistance. Everyone must continue the resistance where they are. Fascism is everyone's enemy. It is your enemy and my enemy. It is the enemy of the thinking man. It is the enemy of the homeland, society, freedom and democracy. That is why we are all attacked. Therefore, everyone must join the resistance against fascism. Everyone must resist.”

Kalkan added: “The resistance of women is very important, as is the resistance of mothers. Those organized as Martyrs’ Mothers, Prisoners’ Mothers, or Peace Mothers have always played a leading role. They are playing their role now too. They are powerful. Overall, women's resistance is powerful. A great revolutionary movement is advancing on the basis laid by the KJK's offensive against abuse, rape and femicides. The struggle of women is not a limited resistance. That is why there are many attacks on women. But women do not leave these attacks unanswered.”

As for young people, Duran Kalkan said: “Young people are also in resistance. Young people play an important role. To mark the 43rd anniversary of our party, 43 young people have joined us. I greet you all. Young people join the party and the guerrilla, they join the fight everywhere. Because of course the fight takes place everywhere. Our party is everywhere and the resistance is everywhere. The youth must join this in every place. It must take part in the resistance as a guide. They must take part in it with self-sacrifice.”

Duran Kalkan finally underlined that “the PKK entered its 43rd year of existence with the aim of ending the AKP/MHP fascism. The general situation favors that. Fascism is collapsing bit by bit. It beraks inside into a thousand pieces. It is isolated on all sides. It is completely surrounded. Erdoğan's and Bahçeli's fascism will be crashed this year. Everyone should believe in it, aim for this and be determined to accomplish it."