Çiğdem Doğu, a member of the Executive Council of the Kurdistan Free Women’s Community (KJK), said that they will guarantee the continuation of the values created over 52 years in the strongest, truest, most beautiful, and most free form. She emphasized: "As militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and especially as comrades who took part in this congress, our responsibility is now even greater."

The 12th Congress of the PKK was held between 5 and 7 May in the Medya Defense Areas. The final declaration and decisions were shared with the public on 12 May. At the congress, Çiğdem Doğu began her remarks by saluting President Öcalan with respect, describing him as the one who wrote the PKK as an unending novel, both living and sustaining it, and by remembering the martyrs with gratitude.

Values form the foundation of the new era

Çiğdem Doğu said: "We are holding a congress to dissolve the PKK, but the PKK, along with its great martyrs, has created immense values. In fact, it has generated a profound sense of morality, a rich culture, and a philosophy of free life. Dissolving the PKK does not mean dissolving these values. These values are the foundation of the new phase we are entering, through renewal and restructuring. I want to clearly express that these great values and our heroic martyrs will always live on. The discussions we had during the congress and the determination that has emerged reflect this truth."

We have not been defeated

Çiğdem Doğu recalled that in his 27 February call, President Öcalan said: "Like every contemporary society that has not been forcibly destroyed or suppressed, you too must dissolve yourselves." She continued: "As we dissolve the PKK, we cannot adopt the narrative imposed by the enemy through special warfare tactics, such as ‘they were defeated,’ ‘they were eliminated,’ or ‘we will dissolve them.’ The Turkish state persistently frames this as a matter of defeat and victory. But we know very well that the dissolution of the PKK arises from a reality far beyond such a framework. We have not been defeated. The PKK is not dissolving itself after 52 years because it has been defeated."

A reality witnessed for the first time

Çiğdem Doğu said: "I want to emphasize this in particular. This congress is truly historic in every sense. As President Öcalan stated, this may be the only organization to have initiated a process of transformation and change by its own will, like every modern society. As far as I know, this is a reality being witnessed for the first time in the Middle East, perhaps in thousands of years. President Öcalan mentioned this in his recent perspectives, and it was also present in his earlier evaluations. The Middle East and Kurdistan have always lagged behind and lost because they failed to transform and restructure themselves in accordance with changing conditions. That is why it is so meaningful and valuable that we are holding this congress entirely of our own free will, not due to external pressure, coercion, or the enemy’s influence, but solely in line with President Öcalan’s instructions. I believe the outcomes will have regional implications. The PKK, by dissolving itself, is leading this process. And this must be regarded as one of President Öcalan’s greatest achievements."

The PKK has been like a mother to us all

Çiğdem Doğu said: "Undoubtedly, the reality of the PKK is like an unending novel. Within this novel are many elements that must be evaluated, examined, and understood. These will be analyzed more thoroughly by all of us in time. It is very important that we understand this moment correctly as we dissolve the organization. What exactly are we dissolving? And how will we continue from here? Speaking from my own path of development, I can say this: for years, we lived, worked, and grew with our comrades in the same organization. The PKK has been like a mother to all of us. Like a mother, it taught us how to speak, how to walk, how to relate to people, how to organize, how to defend ourselves, and how to fight. It taught us how to behave, how to love, how to respect, how to build friendships, how to be comrades. We learned and lived out moral values in the PKK that we never learned in our own families. The PKK taught us these things. And it wasn’t just the militants. These values were taught to people, to all peoples, but especially to women. It taught women how to live as themselves, how to recognize their inner strength, and how to express themselves. In the context of Kurdistan and the Middle East, these are truly miraculous developments. We may have become accustomed to them within the organization, and they may have become part of our culture and daily life. But in truth, they are miraculous."

It created the ethics of freedom

Çiğdem Doğu continued: "That is why we must deeply grasp this reality. The PKK created this morality. It created the ethics of freedom. It created the philosophy of freedom. It instilled in us the very essence of freedom. As far as I remember, President Öcalan’s first comprehensive critiques of socialism date back to 1987. His analyses on women and family also belong to that year. These correspond to the period of the Third Congress. In those evaluations, we see the emergence of something beyond traditional socialism. His approach to women, internationalism, his insistence that socialism must become universal rather than remain national, his approach to nature and to women, all of these were thoroughly addressed in 1987. It was in this spirit that our first women’s movement was founded after the Third Congress.

These were the early signs of going beyond real socialism, in both theory and practice. In the political report of the Fifth Congress, President Öcalan articulated this even more powerfully. That report is a document that should be revisited often to understand what it means to transcend real socialism. It contains the seeds of everything President Öcalan is evaluating today. Since then, he has consistently surpassed the boundaries of real socialism. Alongside this, the strengthening of the women’s movement, the formation of a women’s army, the self-organization of women, and the internal transformation processes required within the party were all addressed with great effort. When we say the PKK is our mother and nurtured us, we are referring to the PKK developed by President Öcalan."

Öcalan always laid out a perspective for us

Çiğdem Doğu said: "President Öcalan has always provided a profound perspective, aiming not only to go beyond real socialism but also to overcome capitalism, feudalism, familialism, tribalism, and all forms of backwardness in gender relations. He overcame these issues himself and worked for us to do the same. His analyses have all been part of this effort to transcend those systems."

We are driving the roots even deeper

Çiğdem Doğu added: "We are dissolving the PKK, but we are deepening the values it created. By restructuring ourselves and entering a new phase, we are taking a historic step to further root and strengthen the foundational values of the PKK, values built through the sacrifices and labor of our martyrs. In this sense, we are witnessing historic moments."

We are the guarantee of what comes next

Çiğdem Doğu said: "To ensure the next phase unfolds in a healthy way, we ourselves must guarantee that the values created over the past 52 years continue in the strongest, truest, most beautiful, and most free form. We, the ones who are alive, carry this responsibility. That is why, especially as PKK militants, and even more so as comrades who participated in this congress, our responsibility is greater. The path ahead is uncertain. We are standing at a historican threshold, and it is not yet clear how we will move forward. How will this process unfold? How will the enemy respond? What kind of special warfare will be used? What physical attacks may come? There are, of course, uncertainties, dangers, and risks. How our party structure understands and responds to this phase will be critical."

Öcalan will further elaborate on these

Çiğdem Doğu concluded her remarks: "It is of historic importance that we understand and carry out this process correctly, and that we participate in the next phase with the determination, consciousness, and spirit of the PKK shaped by President Öcalan’s line. Such participation would eliminate the risks and dangers of this process. What matters now is to focus on what brings success. President Öcalan has presented a seven-point perspective. He will undoubtedly elaborate on these further. This is not the first time he has addressed these topics, but the way he has now deepened and sharpened them is remarkable. His interpretation of history, his worldview, his focus on women, society, and democratic life represent something truly new."