The Peoples’ United Revolutionary Movement (HBDH) Executive Committee issued a written statement and said, “The hunger strike resistance that started 200 days ago demanding an end to the isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan was ended on demand of Abdullah Ocalan himself.”

HBDH said, “The resistance started as a hunger strike by Leyla Guven and snowballed into this day. For 200 days, the hunger strike resistance grew to dozens and hundreds and thousands of resisters with new participations. The cry for freedom Leyla Guven started was embraced by millions.”

The statement continued:

“In the dungeons of Kurdistan and Turkey, in Europe, in Southern Kurdistan and in various other locations the hunger strikes spread like wildfire.

The fascist government was desperate against the resistance and tried to hinder it through detentions, torture and bans. Despite all, the vanguard protesters marched towards immortality every day despite themselves and tore down a brick a day from the wall of isolation. Revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives one after the other without batting an eye have proven that fascism is at its weakest just as it looks strongest.

Workers, young people, women, people from all walks of life supported the resistance. But at the forefront of this struggle were our mothers, who stood by their children when they laid their bodies down to pay the greatest price. With their white scarves, they became the embodiment of the demand for freedom by the prison resistance against the darkness of fascism. In the snow, in the rain and the mud, our white scarved mothers embraced the resistance against all bans.

At this point, the isolation has been broken and Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan has started to meet with his lawyers again. The visitation ban of 8 years and the aggravated isolation conditions have been broken with the two back to back visits.

The events have shown that it is not possible to achieve any rights or freedoms against fascism without paying a price in the reality of Turkey and Kurdistan. The isolation of 8 years was broken thanks to the price that was paid and the increasing resistance.

When we set out we said, ‘Break the isolation Smash fascism Free Turkey and Kurdistan. The first phase of our revolutionary move has resulted in victory. The isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan has ended. From now on we will fight to tear down fascism. After fascism has been torn down, the peoples of Kurdistan and Turkey will be that much closer to freedom they long for.

On this basis we are faced with the task to grow the struggle in Turkey and Kurdistan with the determination of the hunger strike resisters and martyrs. This will and resolve will defeat fascism. We must organize in every area the great spirit of resistance the hunger strikers uncovered and turn it into action. This resistance process has shown that we can succeed against fascism through resistance. The revolutionary democratic patriotic circles of society have the responsibility to learn lessons from the resistance process, to engage in total fight against fascism wherever they are and to organize a joint struggle.

The days of the fascist Erdogan regime are numbered. It won’t end well for the fascist Erdogan’s regime as the struggle for United Revolution grows among the working class. The hunger strike resistance has shown that if we fight, if we pay the price, if the people embrace the resistance, victory is near. It is our historic responsibility to fortify the ranks of the united revolution against fascism at this point.

We remember with respect and gratitude comrades Zulkuf Gezen, Ayten Becet, Zehra Saglam, Medya Cinar, Yonca Akici, Sirac Yuksek, Mahsum Pamay, Umit Acar and Ugur Sakar and we announce that we will hold the fascist AKP-MHP government to account for them.”