The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) held its 12th Extraordinary Congress between May 5 and 7 following Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 ‘Call for Peace and a Democratic Society’ to disband and disarm.

The final declaration of the congress, published by ANF earlier today, announced the martyrdom of two leading cadres of the PKK, Fuat-Ali Haydar Kaytan on July 3, 2018, and Riza Altun on September 25, 2019. 

The PKK Executive Committee Member Duran Kalkan's assessment of Ali Haydar Kaytan and Rıza Altun at the 12th Congress is as follows:

'Comrade Fuat was the first to join Leader Apo on his journey'

“This will be the last organizational congress of the PKK, as Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] has clearly stated. At this congress, we announce the martyrdom of two valuable comrades who were among Leader Apo's first companions and founders of our party.

All comrades know these friends. The public knows them. Our people, women, and young people know them very well.

Our comrade Fuat was the first to join Leader Apo on his journey, just like our comrades Haki and Kemal. He participated in the Çubuk Dam meeting where the organizational foundations of our party were laid, decided to form a group and thus engage in organized work, and remained committed to this cause until the end, ultimately giving his life for it.

Leader Apo expresses and represents eternal loyalty to the truth. He proved this truth through his long-standing practical struggle and by crowning it with martyrdom. He showed us all in the best possible way that the truth of Apoism is an indestructible reality that represents the true communality of society. In the most challenging environments, amidst highly complex processes, and in all circumstances where attacks on the truth of leadership and our struggle line were intense, both from within and outside, he always advocated standing firm alongside the truth of leadership, adhering to the leadership line, and continuing the struggle on this foundation without hesitation.

He devoted all his energy to our party organization, our training, and our struggle. He has truly worked hard for all of us. He was always a pioneer and an educator in terms of theoretical consciousness, patriotic revolutionary sentiment, practical work, resilience, endurance, courage, and self-sacrifice, which we have all witnessed closely. He expressed his feelings and thoughts in various ways in every environment. Of course, I will not say that he made an important contribution to our party's literature, which was in an environment where even the most barren feelings had withered, which Leader Apo tried hard to revive.  He started and developed it with Leader Apo. Now, based on these foundations, we can hear, understand, feel, read, write, gain morale, compose poetry, and sing songs. All of this began with such a start, and comrade Fuat, along with Leader Apo, was among the first to experience the difficulties of that beginning.

Once again, I remember him with deep respect and love.

Comrade Rıza joined the first group from Ankara

All our companions know Rıza. He joined the first group from Ankara, was an active member of the group, and made a significant contribution to the development of the movement, the formation of its line of action, and the strengthening of the organization and the struggle.

Just as Fuat tried to be the spirit, the conscience, and the emotion of the struggle of leadership and played a very important role here, Rıza was also unknown to his comrades. Very few people truely knew him. I can't say that everyone knew Rıza.

We have always spoken of Kemal Pir's militant personality, his mercurial nature, and his revolutionary spirit. Comrade Rıza was the representative of the second Kemal Pir personality. In the most challenging environments, in places deemed impossible, he made significant contributions to the development of the PKK's action line with great courage, self-sacrifice, and creativity, as well as initiative, in the face of all kinds of emerging hostilities.

Then he was sent to prison, where he read and studied. His theoretical awareness increased significantly. His organizational and managerial skills developed. His political understanding deepened. He took on many different roles, from political organizational work to diplomatic efforts, but the first official position comrade Rıza held in the party was as a member of the Central Military Committee, which was formed after the First Congress. He was the assistant to Mehmet Karasungur, who was appointed as commander by the Central Committee. Alongside Mehmet Karasungur, he made great efforts, took on responsibilities, and contributed significantly to the preparation, organization, and execution of the Siverek resistance. He was taken prisoner by the enemy during such a battle.

It is important to know these things and to study and understand these personality traits, just like Kemal's personality. On this basis, I once again remember our fallen comrade Rıza with respect and love.

Leader Apo always said that every moment of the PKK was developed, created, and won by struggling against greater difficulties than the previous one. Nothing was achieved or brought about easily or by itself. This struggle against difficulties and obstacles was not an ordinary one. Leader Apo said, “It was like walking on a knife's edge.” Of course, there were those who were wounded and shed blood while walking on the edge of a knife. Therefore, every moment of the fifty-two-year Apoist struggle for freedom was won through brave, courageous, and selfless struggle, shedding blood and making sacrifices in the face of great difficulties and obstacles.

No gain has been achieved easily or without price.”