The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Executive Committee issued a written message to commemorate the resistance in Amed prison on 14 July 1982.

It was an action, said the PKK, that illuminated the darkness of 12 September 1980 military coup and opened the way to a new process in Kurdistan and Turkey.

The statement reminded the action carried out by the young people in Amed prison. “This 14 July marks the 36th anniversary of the Great Death Fast Resistance" said the PKK.

The PKK statement added: “Kurdistan once again for the 36th time salutes the Great Death Fast Resistance of 14 July. We salute all the comrades and our people, especially Leader Apo, on the National Honor Day. We commend the comrades who carried out the great resistance, Mehmet Hayri Durmuş, Kemal Pir, Akif Yılmaz and Ali Çiçek and pay tribute to them with respect for their struggle for freedom. We once again declare that we will walk on the path and footstep lied out by the resistance of our martyrs on 14 July”.

The statement added: “We all know that the resistance carried out in contemporary Kurdistan freedom struggle takes its inspiration from the great resistance in Diyarbakır prison carried out by comrades Mazlum, Hayri and Kemal.

As a movement and people, we have been resisting for exactly thirty-six years on the basis of this historic resistance action. For thirty-six years, all achievements in the name of Kurdish existence and freedom have been reached with a struggle based on that resistance. Therefore, the attractive and appealing effect of the great resistance continues today with all its vitality. The spirit of victory of 14 July and the line traced are illuminating our path today”.

The PKK then recalled that “the 14 July Great Death Fast Resistance in Diyarbakır prison is the first major action against the military-fascist coup d'etat of 12 September 1980. It is an action which defeated that coup ideologically. Therefore, it represents the soul, line, courage and sacrifice of resistance and victory against fascism. It shows us how to resist and win against fascism. Our party has uncovered a self-sacrificing resistance line against fascism. It has been assessed and described by Leader Apo as "a whole and sufficient action that represents the resistance of our Party."

The statement continued: “Certainly, today, as yesterday, we, the movement and people, are heroically resisting against fascism. What the Erdoğan-Bahçeli alliance wants to do today is to try to revive the fascism which has been defeated by the revolutionary resistance time and time again.

In order to revive fascism - said the PKK – fascist oppression, terror and massacre have been implemented in a way that goes beyond the 12 September fascist coup regime. No ethics and laws are respected in this fascist-genocidal attack. After the 24 June elections, fascism is trying to step up this policy of genocide and aggression against Kurds”.

The statement added: “Today like in 1982 and in 1984 when we took up arms, the people and the Movement are fighting against fascism. A total freedom resistance against the total fascist-genocide attack.

At the forefront are women and youth, our heroic and democratic political forces in Kurdistan and abroad, our democratic political forces and, in particular, Leader Apo and all the prisoner comrades.

The 14 July Great Death Fast Resistance defeated fascism, it was an ideological defeat and promoted the spirit of freedom showing the path to follow”.

The PKK statement reiterated its tribute to all martyrs of the struggle for freedom and saluted Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan, calling on “all comrades and our people to organise more, fight stronger and win bigger against AKP-MHP fascism in the line of 14 July resistance and victory.”