Besê Erzincan, a member of the coordination of the KJK (Community of Women of Kurdistan), commented on the current political situation in an ANF interview. We are publishing the excerpt of the interview in which Besê Erzincan discusses the importance of Abdullah Öcalan and his isolation and evaluates the role of the West in the Turkish occupation of South Kurdistan.

Why is Abdullah Öcalan so consistently isolated from the public?

Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] has been resisting the isolation and torture system on the prison island of Imrali for 22 years with an extraordinary determination and under very difficult conditions. Despite these conditions of isolation, he has succeeded in developing a system of thought and methods of struggle for the liberation of women, our people and the peoples of the world against the capitalist modernity system.

He presented an agenda, a philosophy and a system for the liberation of women and all humanity in the world, in the Middle East and in Kurdistan. With his defense, written in Imrali, he showed how a critical and difficult threshold with regard to the liberation of mankind can be crossed over and a free life can be built. He revived socialism and turned it into a hope. On the issue of women's liberation, he promoted, in few years, developments that would have required entire centuries to happen. This means that he is still in a leading position for global developments. With his attitude, his thoughts and the organization he created, Rêber Apo succeeded in having a significant impact on Kurdistan and the Middle East. The current developments show again how important it is for the revolution in Kurdistan and the women's revolution to understand Rêber Apo and to put his thoughts into practice.

The Turkish state has been carrying out extensive occupation attacks on the Medya Defense Areas since April 23. Is this invasion supported by the US and Europe?

One of the largest resistance struggles in the history of Kurdistan against the fascist Turkish state has been taking place in the Zap, Metîna and Avashin regions since April. This war is planned and put into practice as the result of a deal between the US and the Turkish state. In return for recognizing the genocide of the Armenians, the US signed for the genocide of the Kurdish people. This is a very hypocritical attitude. The US has approved the genocidal war of the Turkish state against the Kurds. The Kurdish people and Kurdish women will never forgive the US.

However, it is not only the Turkish state that is perpetrating genocide against the Kurds. The US and Europe are also responsible for this. We see this war as femicide and a war against free women at the same time. Thus, the US and the European states are also against the ever increasing struggles for the liberation of women and society, led by Kurdish women in the Middle East. The US and Europe support this war policy. We condemn the inhuman, selfish politics of genocide and femicide. We call on these states to stop their support for the misogynist. And we declare once again that we, as women, will resist the murderous politics of the Turkish state and the system of capitalist modernity. We will continue to fight together and in an organized manner in the Middle East, and we will free ourselves.