The General Command of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) released a statement on the 27th anniversary of the 9 October conspiracy, the 5th anniversary of the Turkish occupation attacks on Girê Spî and Serêkaniyê and the agreement against the Yazidi town of Shengal (Sinjar).

The statement by YPJ General Command includes the following:

“On the 27th anniversary of the international conspiracy and the 5th anniversary of the Turkish occupation’s attacks on Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) and Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain), and the agreement on Shengal, we strongly condemn the malicious conspiracy and occupation, and we declare that we will never allow the conspiracy and occupation to achieve their goal.

Our leadership, our people, our women, and all the world’s fighters for freedom have been resisting the international conspiracy with unprecedented perseverance for 27 years, ever since the removal of leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) from the Middle East. First, we remember all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives under the slogan “No one can block our sun,” the honorable martyrs of resistance, and all the martyrs of the revolution for freedom. We bow our heads with great respect before their memory. The people, the female fighters, comrades, and friends who continuously struggle against the conspiracy raise the banner of freedom, demanding the physical freedom of the leader in all fields of struggle, and we salute them with respect and love.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the fascist powers of the nation-state have left the Kurdish people marginalized, without history, without culture, and without language. On this basis, they openly or secretly signed several agreements regarding the division of Kurdistan, such as the Sykes-Picot, Sèvres, and Lausanne treaties, and agreed on the genocide of the Kurdish people. They implemented policies of extermination, mass murder, conspiracy, assimilation, special warfare, and cultural genocide to annihilate the Kurdish people. As a result, the Kurdish people were deprived of their right to identity and existence and entered a state of losing their identity as a people.

The freedom movement, led by leader Apo, began a widespread struggle to revive the people who had been buried and whose identity was buried with them. From the very beginning, leader Apo analyzed the dangerous situation of the genocide against the Kurdish people. Contrary to it, he initiated a revolution of awakening and organization. As a result of his efforts for many years, the people, who had been deprived of existence, have been revived time and again.

In the past 26 years, leader Apo has been struggling moment by moment against the conspiracy and the conditions of imperial captivity. He fights at the highest levels, resists, and has built himself stronger, offering all measures and solutions for peace. Our leader thwarted all lines of this conspiracy with his stance, exposed the conspiratorial capitalist system with all its secrets, and is waging a strong ideological and political struggle against it.

Leader Apo shows unprecedented resistance and struggle under the harsh conditions he endures on the island of Imrali, which he describes as the “pit of death.” Imrali has become the center of the main battle. Capitalism aims to leave the peoples without hope, without ideology, without systems, without protection, so they can rule them like herds. But the people draw strength and inspiration from Apo’s philosophy. The conspiracy aimed to separate the leader from the people and the freedom movement, isolating and forgetting them, but our leader broke all the existing boundaries and obstacles, reaching the entire world with his determination and line of resistance. Therefore, freedom lovers everywhere fill the squares, demanding the physical freedom of leader Apo.

Day by day, the systemic crisis and chaos in the region grow more dangerous. In comparison to leader Apo’s ideas and views, finding solutions becomes more difficult. The imprisonment in Imrali has turned into extreme isolation, violating all international laws. Despite all requests from lawyers and family, as well as the activities of the Kurdish people and their friends, no information has been received from leader Apo for 36 months. Punishment under the guise of disciplining leadership seeks to prevent the right to hope, presenting it as a legitimate project to the public.

The forces of domination have launched the Greater Middle East project to redesign the region. Today, the third world war, centered around the Middle East and Kurdistan, is being waged in brutal, lawless ways. As part of the third world war, on October 9, 2019, with the approval of capitalist hegemonic forces, the fascist Turkish state launched a brutal attack on Kri Sipi and Sere Kaniye. In the face of these attacks, our people, fighters of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), and People’s Protection Units (YPG) defended their people and heroically sacrificed their lives. Hundreds of our Arab and Kurdish people were martyred as a result of the brutal bombing by the fascist Turkish regime and its mercenaries. In Kri Sipi and Sere Kaniye, which are currently under occupation, daily violations of rights, rape, kidnapping, and murder occur, as well as demographic changes, all of which constitute crimes against humanity.

Furthermore, on October 9, an agreement was reached against the will of the Yazidi people, putting our people in Shengal at risk of genocide repeatedly. However, our people in Shengal are aware of the objectives being pursued and are engaging in the necessary struggle.

We, as the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), continue our struggle based on the model of leader Apo to achieve the physical freedom of leader Apo, end the occupation, and ensure the protection of women’s values and the peoples of the region. We are committed to achieving success and freedom for the people. On this basis, we repeatedly salute the resistance and struggle of leader Apo, the freedom fighters, and the people of Kurdistan and the world for freedom, and we call on women and freedom-loving people to crown the campaign for the physical freedom of leader Apo with victory.”