The Coordination of Kurdistan Women’s Communities (Komalên Jinên Kurdistanê, KJK) has published a statement on the 72nd birthday of Abdullah Öcalan and said, "Every day that Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] is in captivity is a day that takes away our freedom as women and peoples. Each additional day of captivity means war, massacre, chaos and a deepening of the hopelessness of the situation."

The full statement of KJK Coordination reads as follows:

 "As Kurdish people and especially as women, we consider Leader Apo's birthday as our own birthday. On this basis, we congratulate Leader Apo and wish him healthy long years of struggle. At the same time, we congratulate especially the women and all our people, as well as all the peoples of the world on this day.

The three births

The life of Leader Apo and the struggle of the Kurdish people form an inseparable unity. The three births that Öcalan describes in relation to his life are reflected in our struggle.

The first birth is the biological one on April 4. In this sense, we would like to express our gratitude on the occasion of this day to our mother Üveyş who, through this birth, provided a path to rebirth for the Kurdish people and especially for women.

The second birth is the revival of the Kurdish people and women, who were facing annihilation, from the ashes through the beginning of the PKK resistance, which gave life, hope and inspiration to the people.

The third birth appears with the new paradigm of Leader Apo, which is spread and deepened from Imrali. It represents an important intervention towards the systemic crisis of the 21st century and means an important departure for the revolutionary-democratic forces that have reached a dead end. In this sense, Leader Apo, through his determination to solve the problems of all humanity and the world, has gained a universal character with this third birth.

Kurdish women became the hope of the peoples of the world

Kurdish women filled this paradigm with life through its implementation in Kurdish society and thus represent a great source of hope and inspiration for women and peoples of the world. The fact that so many people are standing up for Leader Apo internationally and that campaigns for his freedom are taking place across continents with such breadth is a consequence of the truth of his paradigm, which we call the third birth.

The time for freedom has come

It must not be possible for a leader who has become a hope for the Kurdish people and humanity, and especially women, to be held incommunicado. Therefore, we say: the time for the Leader’s freedom has come.

Leader Apo is subjected to fascist methods and the pressure of the AKP/MHP regime under the conditions of absolute isolation. The fact that the state was forced to make his voice heard at this stage does not mean that there is no more danger. As could be seen from the few words of Leader Apo, he is resisting against this practice. Due to the fascist mentality of the regime and its practices, his life is not safe. In this sense, it is impossible to be fobbed off with anything beyond Leader Apo's physical freedom. On this basis, the women, the youth, our people and our friends are leading joint campaigns for his freedom. Every day that Leader Apo is in captivity is a day that takes away our freedom as women and peoples. Each day of captivity means more and more war, massacres, chaos and a deepening of the hopelessness of the situation.

Every day of his captivity means deepening of fascism

Every day of imprisonment and total isolation means that fascism is deepening and becoming more institutionalized in Turkey. For this reason, the campaigns and the struggle for freedom for Leader Apo must be a main concern not only of the Kurdish people, but also of all democratic forces that oppose fascism.

The resistance this year was increased on March 8 and reached a peak on Newroz. It was a Newroz festival where the determination to fight for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan came to the fore. Let us make this year's birthday of Leader Apo, April 4, a day to raise the struggle for his freedom to an even higher level. The campaigns and resistances for his liberation must continue and expand without interruption in order to succeed. On this basis, we call upon our people, especially women and youth, to continue their struggles until the physical freedom of our leader.

We say it one more time; the birth of Leader Apo is our birth. His freedom is our freedom. With this deep awareness and responsibility, we declare that we will make 2021 the year of Leader Apo's freedom. With this belief and conviction, we place the physical freedom of Leader Apo at the center of our work and struggle. By celebrating the day of the birth and revival of all our people, we reaffirm our determination for freedom."