Co-chair of the Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) Rûken Ehmed spoke to ANF regarding the Turkish state's attacks on the Democratic Autonomous Administration Areas in Northern and Eastern Syria.

Rûken Ehmed said, "Our people should strengthen the ranks of resistance by following the lead of Leader Apo's (Abdullah Öcalan’s) resistance and the resistance of prisoners in Turkey’s dungeons. We must frustrate the attacks of the occupying Turkish state with our anger. As the Turkish state insists on displacing the people of the region, we must insist on living in our land and resisting so that we can claim our freedom and our land."

Rûken Ehmed pointed out that the Turkish state has targeted the infrastructure of Northern and Eastern Syria more than once this year, and continued: "The Turkish state targets areas that serve the people. The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, with its means and despite the embargo, made the targeted places that serve the people usable again, and the damages were repaired. The Turkish state could not digest the restoration of the destroyed areas by the Autonomous Administration in a short time. It could not digest the repair of the infrastructure offered to the service of the people in such a short time. This aggression is also an indication of its intolerance towards the Social Contract made in line with the common ideas of the peoples in the region. The Turkish state, which is a genocidal, occupying state, has once again targeted the infrastructure of North and East Syria in the face of the fact that the needs of the region have been met despite the limited possibilities in the region and the approval of the Social Contract."

Referring to the aim of the occupying Turkish state in targeting the infrastructure of North and East Syria, Rûken Ehmed stated: "The main purpose of targeting the infrastructure of the region is to displace the people. The targeted places are the institutions and organisations in the region and the places of our people. The people work in these places. They are also the places where they earn their livelihoods and thus, they do not end up dependent on the outside world. But the people of the region insist on their decision. They say that even if they have nothing to eat, they will eat soil and will not leave their land. The people gave the message that 'if the Turkish state is to damage our infrastructure, we will repair our infrastructure with our own means'. The intolerance of the Turkish state is due to the peoples' insistence on resistance. The Turkish state wants to face the reality of a surrendering people, but our people have increased the resistance. In addition, the active participation of the peoples of North and East Syria in the campaign for the physical freedom of Leader Öcalan disturbs the Turkish state."

Pointing out that the attacks are directed against civilians, Rûken Ehmed said, "Targeting civilians is an indication of the helplessness of the Turkish state. The guerrillas of the Kurdish Freedom Movement carried out substantial actions in the Medya Defence Zones despite the winter conditions. With these actions, they support the resistance led by Leader Apo in İmralı. The Turkish state is targeting the infrastructure of the region and civilians due to its defeat against the fighters of the Kurdish Freedom Movement."

The Co-Chair of TEV-DEM condemned the Turkish state’s targeted attacks against peoples and concluded: " Our people should strengthen the ranks of resistance by following the lead of Leader Apo's (Abdullah Öcalan’s) resistance and the resistance of prisoners in Turkey’s dungeons.

With our actions, struggle and resistance, we must ensure the physical freedom of Leader Apo, we must be on the streets against attacks and our anger must not rest. We must frustrate the attacks of the occupying Turkish state with our anger. Our people and friends living abroad should also take these attacks as attacks against the will of the peoples. As the Turkish state insists on displacing the people of the region, we must insist on living and resisting in our land so that we can claim our freedom and our land."