The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Party of Free Women of Kurdistan (PAJK) prisoners made a written statement and celebrated the foundation anniversary of the PKK.

The statement of the prisoners is as follows:

“We welcome the 42nd anniversary of our party PKK and its 43rd year of struggle with the campaign titled 'End to Isolation, Occupation, Fascism; Time to Realize Freedom' in this historic process with the determination of further resistance and struggle. We celebrate the day of resurrection and rebirth on November 27 for our leader, our people and all other peoples.

We declare once again our will to fight in an organised manner until the isolation on our leader, our people and the oppressed ends and our people gains his physical freedom.

Only by organizing and building a free life is it possible to systematize the KJK campaign ‘Time to Defend Free Women and Society Against Femicide’, the women’s freedom struggle developed by our leader- the architect of our identity for freedom- on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the women’s freedom-oriented democratic ecologist paradigm in the Middle East and worldwide under the leadership of PKK and PAJK.

As PKK and PAJK prisoners behind bars, we say an alternative world is possible. The immense resistance displayed against the AKP-MHP fascism, which is the target of our leader that develops the ideology and philosophy of an equal and free life, and the hegemonic powers that deepened the Third World Sharing War in the Middle East and especially in Kurdistan on the basis of their imperialist interests, is a hope for the oppressed and everyone who have fought for freedom. With the spirit of persistence and enthusiasm created by the 'Rojava Women's Revolution', we once again express our determination to take part in the campaign and have it gain momentum.

'WE WILL PLAY OUR ACTIVE ROLE'

In this sense, we salute the magnificent, historic resistance of our leaders in Imrali in this process, during which we celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the PKK and march towards revolution. As PKK and PAJK prisoners we state that we will remain committed to the spirit of July 14 and to the memories of our heroic martyrs who are the creative force of the great achievements of the "Let’s Break the Isolation, Tear Down Fascism, Liberate Kurdistan" resistance campaign. We will actively play our role in the struggle until the realization of their goals with the value and legacy they have created until the Imrali torture and isolation system is eliminated and we gain freedom.

The PKK has constantly questioned its practice of struggle and has drawn important results from it. The 43rd year of struggle we are entering marks the beginning of a period when these results will be passed into history through great achievements. This reality must be grasped correctly and brought to consciousness. It is obvious that each period of struggle has different characteristics, and the PKK has left behind its 42nd year with its political flexibility to adapt itself to the changing world conjuncture, making it necessary to evaluate the new year of struggle with its different aspects and to understand accordingly.

This reality is the main reason why the international conspiracy has been updated after 21 years and why the Turkish state paved the way for genocidal attacks and wanted to use Southern Kurdistan, especially the KDP and some forces, against our struggle for freedom and democracy.

The fascist understanding, which does not recognize any values belonging to the Kurds and Kurdistan, has not even allowed closed meetings, let alone open meetings, with our families for nine months on the grounds of coronavirus. However, one of the riskiest areas in terms of coronavirus is education, namely schools, but even when face-to-face education was started, no open meeting was allowed in any way. Moreover, despite the enactment of law, lawyer-client meetings are carried out in the form of closed meeting in most places. Even in the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights", "the right to defense is sacred", but this genocidal, fascist mentality, which does not recognize any international legal norms, aims to cut off our communication with the outside world. The fact that our sick friends are not treated on the grounds that they might be infected with the virus, and while the communication with the outside world is not possible, the death of our friends from the epidemic can only be explained by arbitrary rights violations, ward searches. While intercity travels are stopped, the exile policy is on the rise. The naked body search imposed on prisoners means social distance rule is not possible in prisons. While an entire community has been put in isolation in their homes, operations against our people, democratic institutions, and even lawyers who defend the right to defense have not been interrupted.

Our 43-year struggle for freedom has grown with the resistance and efforts of our leaders, our people and peoples, especially our martyrs. With the PKK’s struggle, our people have realized a rebirth by obtaining an awareness of its identity.

“WE ARE LAUNCHING ACTIONS ON NOVEMBER 27”

As PKK and PAJK prisoners we celebrate once again the foundation of the PKK and we are launching a series of actions and activities on November 27 in the prisons of Kurdistan and Turkey. The Imrali system of torture and resistance imposed on our leader is essentially employed against our people, the society as a whole and the oppressed. This resistance is a historic struggle against the occupation and isolation imposed on society by the AKP-MHP fascism.

We are launching an indefinite five-day alternating hunger strike in groups until the absolute isolation imposed on our people is overcome. In the meantime, we renew our call once for the CPT (Committee for the Prevention of Torture) to assume its responsibility to prevent torture and inhuman treatment, to fulfill the requirements of being an independent institution, to observe the rights violations in all prisons, especially in Imralı, and to do what is necessary. Through more organized thinking and emotion, the isolation on our Leader and the peoples can be broken and fascism can be defeated, and the resistance can be crowned with victory.

On this basis, we call on our people, the peoples living in this geography, democratic institutions and all public opinion to contribute to this process.”