Civil Defense Units (YPS) General Coordination issued a statement on its official website to mark the first year anniversary of its establishment. In its statement, YPS described the self-governance resistance of 2015-16 in Cizre, Sur, Şırnak, Nusaybin, Gever, Hezex, Farqîn, Varto, Silopi, Derik, Wan, Stewrê, Kerboran, Şemzînan, Bismil and Siirt as the “eve of victory” and commemorated the resistance martyrs. YPS reiterated its commitment to the struggle of its martyrs and described fallen YPS fighters as the unique examples of heroism and democratic communalism that lead the way of the YPS’ dialectics of struggle. YPS assured everyone that it would continue the struggle of its fallen leading commanders Binevş Agal, Adil Aslan, Ziynet Karaaslan, Nazê Ebdî, Gurbet Aydın, Yılmaz Karakoçan, Çiyager Batman, Rûken Xoserî, Çeko Çatak, Xebatkar Bingöl, İslam Gever and Zeryan Amed, and martyred community leaders Mehmet Tunç, Sêvê Demir and Pakize Nayır and crown this march for freedom with victory.

‘OUR PEOPLE RESPONDED THE FASCIST WAVE OF ATTACKS WITH THE DECLARATION OF DEMOCRATIC AUTONOMY’

In its statement, YPS General Coordination recalled that the freedom struggle of Kurdish people to earn their rights as a people and have a free and democratic life had entered a new phase when Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan launched the democratic solution process at the Newroz of 2013. YPS emphasized the importance of this process in paving the path for a peaceful and democratic solution and promising the peoples of Kurdistan a future of freedom, and said that Öcalan and patriotic people resisted all sorts of pressures and took the steps that are necessary for a democratic and free life. YPS said that these efforts made important gains and increased the strategic importance of the freedom struggle, but the colonialist AKP government pursued a different set of policies in order to prevent the rise of Kurdistan Freedom Struggle and bring Öcalan and Kurdish people to kneel. For this purpose, AKP colonialism launched a new wave of attacks on July 24, 2015 not only against guerrillas but also the youth, people and politicians of Kurdistan. YPS said that Kurdish people responded the fascist wave of attacks with the declaration of democratic autonomy and launched a process of self- governance in North Kurdistan.

‘THE CONDITION FOR FREEDOM IS TO BE THE PEOPLE OF REBELLION’

YPS said that the struggle of Kurdish people is its source of power and free life both in times of war and peace, and the condition for freedom is to be the people of rebellion that has a conscience, mobilization and struggle for resistance. YPS described the declaration of self- governance in places such as Cizre, Sur, Şırnak, Nusaybin, Gever, Hezex, Farqîn, Varto, Silopi, and Derik as the moral and political society’s choice of a free life based on the reflexes of daily life, and said that these declarations marked a new period in the resistance of Kurdish people. Accordingly, life based of self- governance is the realization of Öcalan’s vision for a democratic and communal life and the expression of democratic autonomy, and the people’s acceptance of such a life as an ideological and strategic choice marks a new period where self- governance based on legitimate self-defense brought together the declaration and clashes of self-governance .

‘YPS IS AN ORGANIZATION OF DEFENSE AGAINST THE ATTACKS TARGETING OUR PEOPLE’

In its statement, YPS said “As patriotic Kurdish youth, we made it our duty to protect the democratic self-governance that had been declared against the fascist mentality of the state. As young people led by the YDG-H, we did our best to protect their neighborhoods from enemy forces despite the limited resources that we had. Despite the few guns, hunting rifles, molotov cocktails, sticks and chains we had, we resisted the enemy in a determined way. However, when the colonialist and fascist AKP government sent tanks, panzers and heavy weaponry to our cities, we were forced to enhance our amateur resistance to a struggle that is more organized and better equipped. The YPS reality came into being when local youth resistance groups came together and announced the formation of YPS General Coordination on January 19, 2016.”

YPS described itself as a resistance organization that emerged and got shaped as a response to fascism’s attacks against Kurdish people, and found itself in one of the most comprehensive wars of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement when the Turkish state launched savage attacks on the amateur and local YPS resistance units. On December 14, 2015, YPS overcame its amateur resistance and became more effective when the HPG offered limited personnel support in the face of fascist colonialist armies of the Turkish state, and the support of HPG guerrillas made resistance in locations such as Şırnak, Nusaybin and Hezex more disciplined and efficient despite the hardships of the winter season.

‘THE SELF-GOVERNANCE RESISTANCE GAVE BIRTH TO A SPIRIT OF SELF-SACIRIFICE’

YPS emphasized that the brave and glorious struggle for self- governance gave birth to a spirit of resistance coined by Commander Çiyager’s famous quote “it will be glorious, no matter how it ends”, and the efforts of YPS fighters such as Çiyager, Berfîn, Nûda, Rûken, Çeko, İslam, Bêrîtan, Xebatkar and Zeryan shaped and grew this spirit. YPS stated that the lack of adequate preparations and the failure to fulfill the 9 criterion Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan identifies for the construction of democratic autonomy, coupled with the vicious attacks and embargo of the enemy, disrupted social life and forced people to migrate. YPS militants continue their resistance despite these conditions and showed the path of victory as they wrote epics of heroism through their sacrifice. YPS thanked patriotic people, particularly mothers, who offered their support to its fighters under most difficult conditions, and said that this support has been the greatest inspiration of its militants who are determined to sacrifice themselves for the patriotic people of Kurdistan.

‘WE CALL UPON THE YOUTH OF KURDISTAN TO JOIN THE YPS’

YPS stated that for Kurdish people, victory is shining like the dawn and called upon Kurdish people, particularly the brave youth, to join its ranks and mobilize with the consciousness of self-defense in the struggle for freedom.

‘WE WILL ENHANCE THE RESISTANCE IN THE SECOND YEAR OF OUR STRUGGLE’

Lastly, YPS congratulated Kurdish people for the first year anniversary of its establishment, commemorated all of its self- governance martyrs, and emphasized that they will enhance their battle of resistance based on the victory spirit of martyr commanders and continue to follow the path of “Free Leader, Free Kurdistan.”