The 40th anniversary of the PKK was celebrated in the Medya Defense Zones with a big ceremony. People’s Defense Central Headquarters Commanders Bahoz Erdal and Gulistan Gulhat, as well as HPG and YJA-Star commanders Jindar Zagros, Rêzan Amed and Ferzad Wan attended the ceremony where Bahoz Erdal gave a speech and said: “Looking at the 40 year history of struggle, one can see that this movement will never be defeated, and this cause will certainly prevail.”

People’s Defense Central Headquarters Command Member Bahoz Erdal also said the following in his speech:

“DESPITE ALL ATTACKS, PKK STANDS TALL”

“We celebrate the 40th anniversary of our party PKK for Leader Apo, the people of Kurdistan, the peoples of the region and all our friends. We celebrate the 41st year of our party with all our people, our party militants and our admirers with great enthusiasm and resolve. In the past 40 years, the PKK’s struggle has put its mark on the history of Kurdistan and the region.

These 40 years were not normal or ordinary. All insurgencies and uprisings in Kurdistan in the last 200 years had been defeated in a very short time. The colonialist Turkish state thought they would end the PKK in a short time too. Here, it has been 40 years since the PKK was founded and our party is entering its 41st year. In these 40 years, what did our party go through, what were the hardships, what attacks did the party face? There is no power in the region that hasn’t attacked our party. The traitor and regressive Kurds and colonialist states formed military and political alliances to attack our party one by one. At the same time, the colonialist states in the region and international powers formed alliances in line with their interests. They carried out conspiracies against our Leader, our people and our party. The state of Turkey murdered thousands of our people in Kurdistan in the unidentified murders. Some four thousand Kurdish villages were burned down and evacuated. They also bombed every inch of the mountains of Kurdistan. Despite all these attacks, our party the PKK never waivered like the Cudi and Munzur Mountains and stood tall. As the attacks grew, the PKK stood taller and more grandiose. Despite all conspiracies and obstacles, the PKK’s struggle constantly opened a path like the Tigris and the Euphrates, and fought for humanity.

“40 YEARS OF STRUGGLE, WAR AND RESISTANCE”

In Kurdistan, and even in the whole region, there are no organizations that were able to stand after such attacks, conspiracies, tricks and force. Our party has been subjected to annihilation attacks constantly for the last 40 years. All of the 40 years were full of war and resistance. Some say, ‘What has the PKK done, what has it achieved to this day?’ We say, in 40 years of struggle, what hasn’t the PKK done? Which success in Kurdistan and Turkey happened without PKK’s mark on it? Not just in the military or political sense, this is true for social and ideological senses as well. Anybody who wants to understand what the PKK has done in 40 years should take the pre- and post-PKK periods and compare them, if they are not devoid of conscience or denialists, they will see what innovations, transformations and developments the PKK ushered in Kurdistan. If the Kurds are a power in the region and the peoples of the world know and respect Kurds and Kurdistan, this also stems from the struggle of the PKK.

“IT IS APPARENT HOW MUCH TURKISH COLONIALISM FEARS THE PKK”

Today, Turkish colonialism led by the AKP and Erdogan very openly and violently continues their hostility against the Kurdish people and the peoples of the region and their democracy. Erdogan visists Moldova, Washington, Paris or Sochi, he talks about the PKK. He meets with village heads, he talks about the PKK. He meets with merchants, he talks about the PKK. He probably dreams of the PKK. This shows how much he fears the PKK. This shows how great a force a PKK is. This also shows what great successes the PKK has achieved. This shows how violent the Turkish state’s annihilation-denial policies against the Kurdish people are. They don’t hide their hostility, they do it very openly. Erdogan’s approach towards Kurds and Hitler’s approach towards Jews are one and the same. Erdogan is the Hitler that plagues the Kurds. He uses ISIS and its methods to implement his policies. Today, what Erdogan and the AKP do in Kurdistan is the same as Hitler’s and ISIS’ ideology and practice. We are facing such an enemy that they know nothing of humanity, or dialogue, or politics. The only thing they know is the annihilation of Kurds. So there may be some traitor Kurds that stand with them, but there must be no other Kurds left by their side.

“PKK’S STRUGGLE WILL BRING FREEDOM”

What should our people and our party the PKK do in the face of this enemy? It should be known very clearly that as this mindset that is an enemy of humanity increases its attacks against the Kurdish people and Turkey’s and the region’s democracy, our resistance and resolve will increase accordingly and our battle will grow. As much as they attack, as much as they torture and imprison civilians, as much as they terrorize our people, and as much as they attack the guerrilla, they will never prevail in this war. The PKK’s fight and resistance will bring freedom for the peoples of Kurdistan and Turkey, and all other peoples. The 40 year long epic struggle of the PKK is proof of that. Looking at the 40 year history of struggle, one can see that this movement will never be defeated, and this cause will certainly prevail.

“KURDISH PEOPLE’S WILL MUST BE RESPECTED”

In the most recent process, the US administration has targeted three of our friends from the party administration. What does the US want from our Leader and our administration? We are no enemies of the American people, or the USA. Not our leader, not the administration of the party has ever pursued material wealth, built palaces, accumulated billions of dollars to turn their family into a dynasty. All their lives, their efforts and their practices have been dedicated to the freedom of this people. Kurds are such a people that even their name was not accepted, their existence denied, their will, culture and language ignored. If international powers will take a stand, they should first respect this struggle and its leaders. They should abandon these duplicitous politics. If they are thinking of using the Kurdish people as bargaining chips in secret negotiations, the PKK will for sure expose this and reject it. The overwhelming majority of the Kurdish people stand with the PKK, PKK’s Leader and PKK’s administration with all they have. International powers must respect the Kurdish will. The Kurdish people see the PKK, PKK’s Leader and PKK’s administration as their representative and embrace them. Kurds also have the right to live free on these lands. Whatever regional or international power wants to pursue politics in our region today, it is clear that those who don’t respect the Kurdish people’s will and resistance will not prevail. If they want to pursue rightful politics for peace and stability in the Middle East, all powers must recognize the Kurdish people and respect their leaders, giving up classic hostility politics and stopping their involvement in the Turkish state’s policy of massacres and denial.

“IT IS AN HONOR TO BE MILITANTS AND COMRADES OF LEADER APO”

Our party’s 40 years of history is full of glory and honor. These 40 years were filled with the fight against colonialism and all evils. The 40 years of PKK’s history is a history of patriotism, rightful revolution, honesty and will. One can only be proud of this history. We know that this epic hasn’t been completed yet, and that there are many perils to face. There are attacks by forces that can’t tolerate the will of our people and our party. With this awareness, we must pursue a stronger struggle. We know that we also have weaknesses and shortcomings. We must tackle all our shortcomings with courage. We must implement the innovations and changes necessary for that. Only this way can we crown the 40 years of epic struggle with the freedom of our people, our Leader and the peoples of the region. We as the PKK cadres and the guerrillas of Kurdistan and the Middle East are proud and happy to be part of such a party that has a 40 year history of epic struggle. How lucky are we to be Kurdistan guerrillas! We are the followers of Mazlum Dogan, Kemal Pir, Agit and Zilan. It is a great honor for us to be militants and comrades of Leader Apo. With this enthusiasm and feeling, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of our party. We know we have a heavy burden to bear, and that the enemy’s attacks are harsh. But looking at our 40 years of history, we can see that we will overcome. With this faith and hope, we salute our Leader again in the name of all our comrades, and we salute and remember our martyrs who wrote this 40 years of history in their blood. We promise our martyrs: We will always be their comrades and followers, and we will fulfill their dreams. On this basis, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of our party for all comrades and say, Bijî Serok Apo!”