The Martyrs' Committee of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) published a written statement on its official website regarding the Turkish state's attacks on martyrs' graves. The PKK statement emphasized the need to protect the graves of the martyrs.

The PKK statement includes the following:

“The struggle in Kurdistan has paid huge prices. Nowadays, it has been going through historical and difficult processes. Thousands of martyrs have been sacrificed so far. However, the invading and annihilating system has also received significant blows. The Turkish state and its fascist regime, AKP and MHP, are on the verge of collapse. In this process, everyone who wanted to live in a free country has adopted an honourable struggle for life. Most importantly, the Kurdish people who were subjected to denial and destruction paved the way for freedom by means of the pioneering role of the PKK and voiced their existence to the whole world. The conspiracies against the Kurdish people have been frustrated. In Garê, Metina, Avaşin and Zap, the undefeated Apoist spirit revealed the path to the truth. From the very beginning, the PKK has grown stronger by protecting the martyrs and it has smashed the system of destruction and denial and undermined the domination of capitalist modernity over the Middle East. The truth is that whenever the martyrs were strongly reclaimed, important results ensued. An individual or society cannot protect itself from corruption and dishonour if it does not keep the memories of its martyrs alive and protect them.

Currently, Kurdistan has become the hotbed of the 3rd world war. Yet, it is also the centre of a democratic and free life. The freedom struggle has developed thanks to the resistance of young women and men who believed in the Kurdistan freedom struggle. The martyrs are the architects of the current state of affairs. Not only the Kurdish people, but also Arab, Turkmen, Syriac, Armenian and all other segments of the population joined this freedom struggle. That's why our martyrs’ cemeteries in Kurdistan have become the target of the most devilish and dirty attacks. Bodies were taken out of the graves in Afrin, tombstones were broken in Amed, bodies of the martyrs were abducted from Garzan and taken to unknown places.

EMBRACING MARTYRS MEANS BEING HUMAN

Embracing the martyrs is the true patriotism against all kinds of slavery and domination. It is the principle of a genuine life and existence. This attitude is to take a stand against the slavery and domination imposed by the Turkish state, and its occupation in Afrin through its proxies. No one in Kurdistan can say that she/he is a human being or a Kurd if she/he does not take a stand against the attacks carried out by the Turkish fascist state on the cemeteries in Afrin. There must be reactions everywhere against this fascist enemy and its proxies. Those who do not condemn these barbaric attacks in Kurdistan and do not take a stand should not be allowed to breathe. Individuals, parties and institutions that do not condemn these barbaric attacks and do not react should be considered as partners to this barbarism.

Commemoration is not just a temporary act; it exists within social reality. In other words, one is a human being as long as one lives with his memories. An individual or society that loses sight of its memories ceases to exist. That's why when we say that we must protect the memory of the martyrs, it also means that we must participate in a righteous life. It means that we must participate in life with responsibility; that is, we must be human. Here, it is necessary to evaluate the concept of martyrdom in a proper way. It constitutes the very first condition of a dignified life. This is the first principle of an honourable life in Kurdistan. Can we call ourselves human beings while the bodies of our martyrs are taken out of their graves, while animal markets are set up on cemeteries and while all remain silent? We must always have a responsibility towards the martyrs. Whoever calls himself a human being should react against the vicious attacks against the graves of our martyrs.

THE TURKISH STATE IS ATTACKING OUR VALUES

There has been legendary heroism and martyrdom in Kurdistan in the last fifty years. The PKK has made it happen step by step in a proper manner in Kurdistan. Since this reveals a truth in Kurdistan, the fascist Turkish state is attacking the bodies of our friends and the graves of martyrs immorally. Undoubtedly, these dirty attacks are nothing new to the Turkish state. Especially in the last century, the Turkish state wants to make people forget those who led the social struggle. Those who removed Sheikh Said's grave in the past want to erase the memory of society by carrying out the most barbaric attacks against the freedom struggle. There is a respect for the dead and their graves in all religions and beliefs. There have never been such immoral and devilish attacks and disrespect towards the values ​​and cemeteries of the society in history. The Turkish fascist state, especially the current AKP-MHP government, comes in first in this sense. If there is disrespect to a dead person, reaction develops immediately. Societies in no way accept disrespect and immorality towards their sacred values. So, how is it possible that the AKP-MHP fascist regime can carry out these immoral attacks against our sacred values ​​in Kurdistan? How often do we ask this question? And does not the enemy gain strength from this silence? Undoubtedly, silence helps the fascist regime to continue its immoral and barbaric attacks.

Without a struggle in the footsteps of the martyrs, the enemy gets stronger. In this regard, the invasion and attacks carried out in Kurdistan have a purpose. The Turkish state wants to crush the will of the Kurdish people everywhere, it wants to make them get used to a life without values. That's why the invasion deepens and expands from Western Kurdistan to Southern Kurdistan. Turkey wants to expand its occupation and end the democratic revolution in Western Kurdistan. In order to do so, it mends its international relations and looks for support. The ruling powers in the world are silent against the massacre of the Kurdish people and the occupation in Kurdistan. The US, Europe and Russia have become partners in this massacre by selling weapons for their own interests. This shows that Kurdistan can only be saved through the struggle of the people of Kurdistan. The implication is to understand the reality of martyrs and to be loyal to it.

EMBRACING MARTYRS MEANS EMBRACING LEADER ÖCALAN

Leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) based the foundations of the PKK on the values ​​of martyrs. In essence, the PKK is the answer to the memories of the martyrs. In other words, all the values ​​and achievements in Kurdistan have been realized thanks to the martyrs.

The martyrs reveal their truth in the person of leader Abdullah Öcalan. Loyalty to leader Apo is also a loyalty to the martyrs. In this respect, the fact that “PKK is the party of martyrs” should be kept in mind and heart. The Kurdistan Freedom Struggle finds its expression in this truth. There is not a piece of land in Kurdistan where there are no martyrs. The families of our martyrs know this fact better than anyone else. In this regard, it is our patriotic people who will protect our martyrs and leader Apo the most. Thanks to the martyrs, we become Kurdish and attain patriotism. This fact should not be forgotten even for a second. Those who supported the occupation of Afrin, Serêkaniyê and Girê Spi are still blockading the guerrilla and selling the lands of Southern Kurdistan. Those people should not be allowed to take a single step on the territory of Kurdistan.

It should be known that thanks to our martyrs, we continue to pursue the cause of a free life. The young men and women of these people are risking their lives against fighter jets, bombs and chemical weapons in Afrin, Serêkaniyê, Girê Spî, Başur, Zap, Metina, Avaşin. Every Kurd, every individual who wants democracy and freedom should preserve the memory of martyrs and increase the resistance struggle against all kinds of attacks. The martyrs are not only Kurds. There are also many Arab, Syriac and Armenian people living in Kurdistan. The Rojava Revolution is an achievement of these peoples. The fascist Turkish state and its leader want to eliminate this achievement. Under the motto “Time for freedom against fascism, occupation and isolation”, the line of martyrs should be taken as a basis against the attacks of Erdogan's fascism. Those who disrespect our values ​​in Amed, Afrin, Garzan and many other places and the Kurds who are partners to those who carry out these attacks should receive an answer from the young women and men who believe in the freedom struggle.

It should be known that the Turkish fascist state wants to impose a dishonourable life through these attacks. It wants to render us worthless. That's why today is the day to reclaim our honour. Today is the day to protect the martyrs. If every individual of Kurdistan acts in connection with this reality, then we can talk a about living with honour. All democratic forces, especially our patriotic people, should take to the streets to oppose these immoral attacks of the Turkish state and those who act as their servants. The whole of Kurdistan must turn into a field of rebellion against these immoral attacks of the AKP-MHP fascism. If we do not claim our martyrs now, we may lose our identity and honour in future. For this reason, the occupation regime should be overthrown, especially in Rojava Kurdistan, and life should be forbidden to their proxies. All kinds of actions should be organized against the immoral attacks of the Turkish state under the motto ‘We Protect Our Honour’.”