Analysis

This year we are celebrating Newroz, which in the traditional calendar would mark the beginning of the year 2636. As a movement, we have proclaimed this Newroz to be the Newroz of Freedom, and it has been the biggest and most magnificently conducted Newroz celebration ever. We greeted Newroz with a global freedom campaign aimed at achieving Rêber Apo’s physical independence. This Newroz, the Kurdish people—especially women, youth, and their international friends—as well as all oppressed people and revolutionary democratic forces in all four regions of Kurdistan and around the world—are taking part in the campaign and taking to the streets for Rêber Apo’s physical freedom. In light of this, I would like to celebrate the Newroz of all comrades, particularly Rêber Apo, our people, all of our friends around the world, and all oppressed peoples. My special congratulations go out to the Kurdistan freedom Guerrillas, who have made this Newroz a celebration of joy for everyone fighting for freedom. I congratulate them on the excellent news they shared, and wish them more success in their struggle for freedom.

At the same time, I would like to respectfully, lovingly, and gratefully commemorate our martyrs of Newroz, especially comrades Mazlum Dogan¹, Zekiye², Rahşan³, Bêrîvan, Ronahî⁴, and the tens and hundreds of martyrs of Newroz and freedom.

Newroz is without a doubt one of the most colorful traditions in the history of humanity. The Kurdish people’s freedom movement keeps growing against the new Dehaks⁵ of the Middle East, as history attests. It is undeniable that the narrative of Newroz is the reality of our movement. This process, which started in 1973 when Rêber Apo established the PKK’s organizational framework on Newroz, has today evolved into the most striking manifestation of free humanity. The fire of Newroz is burning fiercely all over the world. The oppressed, women, youth, and all of humanity are embraced by the fire of Newroz and its unrelenting zeal for freedom and victory. Like a raging fire, it is engulfing humankind spreading consciousness, volition, excitement, and freedom. Newroz is truly a determining factor.

The freedom struggle in its 52nd year, has turned the legend of Newroz into a reality. To understand what Newroz is, one must look at this 50-year march of freedom and the immense struggle in every step of it. Nothing which has happened has developed easily or coincidentally. Every moment and every second of this great march to freedom is the outcome of a ‘breathless’ struggle of more than fifty years. There is great heroism in every moment of it. This process, started with a deep historical consciousness, a correct understanding of the knowledge of history, and a tendency to correctly draw lessons from the history of Kurdistan and humanity as a whole. The first steps taken by Rêber Apo on this basis have, today, turned into a search and struggle for freedom that envelops the world.

This has required a deep consciousness and passion toward the knowledge of history, the mother of all knowledge, in its creative essence, in its correct and real form, and to live it moment by moment. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for such developments to take place, for such an outcome to emerge, and for Newroz to become one of the biggest global celebrations of our time. Underlying this development is the lives devoted to the essence of this historical consciousness. There is a stand and attitude which does not deviate from this essence. As a legend, Newroz represents unity, freedom, struggle, victory, the free will of people, and humanity. It represents a great struggle for freedom led by the people of Kurdistan against the power and state system, which is the biggest deviation in human history. The fact that the Kurdish community is currently experiencing Newroz with such passion and that it has become a force that is spreading to neighboring peoples, the entire Middle East, and even the world is due it being lived in accordance with this content and essence.

Another definition of Newroz is the arrival of spring as a season; its rebirth, and revival from winter. It conveys the sense of victory, a fresh start, and the desire for freedom. These are further definitions and approaches of Newroz. The consciousness of freedom, resistance, and triumph against all types of oppression, exploitation, dominance, and attacks, however, is at the heart of the narrative. Not only resistance and struggle, but also victory.

The fight for freedom which begun with Rêber Apo and has lasted for more than 50 years has completely changed the course of this narrative. It revived history, carrying it to the present day. This is the result of a profound historical consciousness. Furthermore, it is the result of appropriately capturing the core of this consciousness and reflecting it to practical life. This is the product of Rêber Apo. This new march for liberation was started on Newroz in 1973 and has grown stronger and more advanced with every Newroz since. With new awareness and actions, this has strengthened and advanced.

Every Newroz was transformed by Rêber Apo into a fresh start, a new beginning, and a new action. Indeed, the consciousness, passion, and independence struggle grew stronger with each Newroz throughout the past fifty years. This is certainly the result of having the appropriate consciousness and living a life that demands bravery, selflessness, and extreme heroism. Among the most valiant actions in Kurdish history is Newroz which represents a valiant stance, determination, action, and triumph.

The freedom march that Rêber Apo has started is a heroic march. What makes it heroic is the courage and sacrifice it contains. These are represented by the martyrs of the struggle. The spirit of freedom, consciousness, will, courage, and sacrifice for the struggle that comes with Newroz revives, grows, and develops more and more with each year. It leads to new great actions, but those actions also have a high price. Realizing and developing the resistance under all circumstances requires a heroic struggle on a level that goes as far as martyrdom. Since the very first steps of the freedom march, Rêber Apo has developed and internalized such a heroic stance.

The greatest representation of this is the great prison resistance that triumphed in 1982 against the oppression of the fascist military coup of September 12. This resistance succeeded against the internal and external attacks in the prison which aimed to annihilate all kinds of resistance. The pioneer of this resistance was comrade Mazlum Dogan. It is the reality of Newroz that gave the power to start such a resistance and to start a new consciousness, will, and march for freedom on the Newroz of 1973. It is consciousness, spirit, will, courage, and sacrifice that historically form the essence of Newroz.

For 42 years, this resistance brought spirit and willpower to the people, particularly the guerilla, women, and the youth. On this day, marking its 42nd year, the spirit created in the prison of Amed (Diyarbakir) has not lost any of its vibrancy, uniqueness, allure, or efficacy. Moreover, it has expanded and elevated its level. Although 42 years ago this resistance was confined to the fascist military regime’s jail, it is now a reality that affects not only Kurdistan but the entire Middle East and even the world. Everyone is discussing Mazlum Dogan’s reality and assessing and trying to comprehend the prison resistance.

Rêber Apo has called him ‘the Modern Kawa’. He named Mazlum Dogan the revival and modernization of the legendary blacksmith Kawa. Rêber Apo stated that the resistance within Mazlum was the resistance of Newroz. Countless young individuals, both male and female, followed him and gallantly joined the fight. From self-sacrifice to detonating explosives in the face of the enemy, to employing a variety of military tactics, a multifaceted battle for independence ultimately emerged. At every stage of this battle, there were outstanding, valiant martyrs. At every stage of this battle, many courageous people were martyred. Every Newroz brought new acts of courage, selfless actions, and martyrdom. Clearly, it was this kind of struggle which kept the spark alive in the Amed prison 42 years ago, nurtured it, fortified it, brought it to the present. It was the struggle of Rêber Apo which continuously nurtured the struggle, as well as the reality of the valiant martyrs who sacrificed their lives.

This legend has become the most fundamental reality of today. If we are going to celebrate Newroz, if we want to understand it correctly and correctly celebrate, first of all, it is necessary to understand this fifty-year march for freedom, which is the transfer of deep historical consciousness to the present day. The spirit, will, consciousness, and heroism with which this struggle has developed at every step, and the price paid to bring it to this day must be analyzed correctly. It is necessary to look at this correctly. Undoubtedly, enthusiasm must be high, excitement must develop; being in a struggle is a source of joy for a person. And if there is such a struggle, of course there is nothing more exhilarating and exciting, especially when this struggle is achieving victories, striking blow after blow against all kinds of attacks of the state system, of the male-dominated mentality and the politics which this brings about. There is nothing more beautiful, more exciting, and more gratifying than bringing about new developments and gains, and liberating life step by step on the basis of women’s freedom.

This is the reality of these fifty years of struggle. All this enthusiasm, excitement, and consciousness is definitely due to this. At the same time, it is necessary to know the reality of the struggle, how it was carried out, by whom, and at what cost. It is necessary to understand this line of struggle correctly. It is not enough just to look at results, to see its achievements, to feel enthusiasm and excitement, and to want to enjoy them. This is good and necessary, but such a situation can only be correct and meaningful if one knows how all this success came about and how it was created. If one adheres to this truth, and if one participates in and contributes to the struggle with the determination to add to its success; then enthusiasm is well-deserved. But just focusing on the results can lead to a situation of claiming ownership of successes without putting in any actual effort or struggle. It is not right to choose some parts of a story and to make it your own. This is no different from stealing, exploiting, and usurping the value created by others. This approach and attitude is contrary to the reality of Newroz. It goes against the consciousness, will, struggle, courage, and sacrifice that make Newroz what it is. Whoever does so nullifies the essence of Newroz. Those who approach Newroz on that basis destroy the reality of it, turn it into a tool of exploitation and profit but do not feel the weight of Newroz in consciousness, spirit, reality, or legend.

It is well known how this struggle of more than fifty years has developed, how every Newroz is lived, and with what spirit, will, struggle, sacrifice, blood, sweat, and labor it has been carried to our day. This consciousness has not been lost, this history has not been concealed, buried, or diverted. There are people who live by and struggle for Newroz. There is the reality of Rêber Apo who started this struggle. Thousands of heroic martyrs bear witness to this struggle and its victory. They represent the essence of Newroz and are calling on everyone to understand and live Newroz correctly. This is how we should evaluate Newroz.

The PKK held its first meeting on a Newroz day, its organizational foundations were laid on this day. Although the official establishment took place in later years, it emerged as a party, a movement of Newroz. Rêber Apo stated that Newroz and the reality of the PKK are totally intertwined. This is how the spirit and consciousness of freedom was formed. This is how the guerrilla developed, becoming the leading force of the struggle. This is how this great heroism emerged. The consciousness of the women’s freedom revolution developed on this basis and became the pioneer and forerunner of all revolutions. With this consciousness, the Kurdish youth has become an Apoist youth that shows much courage and sacrifice.

It is necessary to correctly see the developments and historical consciousness that form the essence of Newroz and give it true meaning. It is also necessary to evaluate the developments and acquire this consciousness correctly. To live every Newroz according to its meaning. For this, it is undeniably necessary to understand the reality of Rêber Apo and the martyrs, to subject oneself to critical self-evaluation in the face of this reality, and to educate, change, and develop oneself according to this. This is the correct approach towards Newroz. Historical consciousness requires that one understands and lives it correctly. For this reason, it involves saving oneself from deviations, mistakes, and drifts. It requires a form of self-criticism that will save the spirit, it requires self-education and renewal, personality change, and revolution. This is how the definition of freedom, the rebirth, the reality of creation, and the reality of the resurrection of Newroz emerge. Just as every living being approaches the new year as a new life, human beings also need to re-create themselves, change, and transform themselves on this basis, and must develop themselves to acquire the consciousness and the spirit of Newroz.

The enthusiasm and excitement of Newroz are very strong and widespread, the magnitude is at a new peak. Indeed, it can be said that we are experiencing the greatest Newroz of all time. The enthusiasm and excitement that characterize the Newroz celebrations began weeks and days in advance. On March 21, it reached its peak. Millions of people were filling the Newroz squares. This was so in Amed, in all places of Rojava, as well as in Rojhilat. The outcome of this can also be observed in South Kurdistan, in Europe, and all over the world. The number of people who have filled the squares and expressed their enthusiasm and excitement for Newroz has exceeded millions and maybe even reached tens of millions. Rojava and Rojhilat alone represent a number that exceeds millions, almost ten million. When these are combined with North Kurdistan, the Kurdish people who have been scattered all over Turkey on the basis of special warfare policies, and the people celebrating Newroz abroad, it really reaches tens of millions. This is not a situation to be taken lightly or evaluated superficially.

In today’s world, where the global capitalist hegemony has developed a liberal offensive in every aspect, has developed attacks of special warfare in every field, where a constant psychological warfare is going on, where the soul of humanity is under constant attack in the fields of media, technique, art and the like. Despite all this, tens of millions of people in four parts of Kurdistan and all over the world have the spirit and consciousness of Newroz. This is not something to be underestimated, it is certainly not a situation to be taken lightly. It is necessary to understand this correctly.

On the other hand, we should not only see this as quantity or spontaneous enthusiasm. This doesn’t just happen spontaneously, nothing does. Without great consciousness, will, passion, courage, and sacrifice, this would not be possible to accomplish under so much pressure and attack. The state’s oppression and attack are also psychological and ideological. Struggling against the fascist dictatorship of the AKP-MHP means fighting both psychological, moral, and ideological attacks as well as physical attack and oppression. Such marches to the Newroz squares do not happen easily. It requires consciousness, organization, courage, and sacrifice. This is certainly the case. Even in snow and ice, our people were marching to the Newroz squares, showing their will and stance and experiencing the strengthening, developing the enthusiasm, and excitement of Newroz. There is also this reality that needs to be seen.

It is necessary to clearly identify and evaluate the demands expressed by this attitude. Such quantitative size and such enthusiasm, excitement, and courage also require a purpose. Despite all kinds of pressure, the demand for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo is being shouted in all squares. The protesters, the people marching to the Newroz squares, do not listen to those who try to prevent them from expressing their political will. They are putting forward a demand. Tens of millions of people are united by the same demand. This is the level of awareness, organization, and struggle. Their one demand is the demand for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. There is such clarity and commitment to the cause. There is such awareness and embrace of the reality of Rêber Apo and such a strong demand for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. In the physical freedom of Rêber Apo, the people see their own freedom. In the development of the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and the freedom of Kurdish society, all peoples, especially neighboring peoples, and humanity see their own free and democratic life. The physical freedom of Rêber Apo represents the freedom and liberation of all the oppressed, especially women as the most oppressed group, but also youth, workers, and laborers. Everyone sees their own freedom and democratic life in the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. The first step taken fifty years ago with five young people to start this Newroz march has, today, turned into tens of millions of people understanding and embracing the reality of Rêber Apo at this level. It is important for us to understand today’s Newroz and its greatness and splendor. It is a fact that the Newroz of 2024 was the greatest of all.

As a movement and as a people, we welcomed this Newroz with a global freedom campaign aiming for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and the solution of the Kurdish question. The campaign bears the name ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’, and was launched on October 10, 2023, through announcements in 74 places around the world. It was initiated by intellectuals, artists, workers and laborers, trade unionists, women, youth, academics, individuals, and organizations that are the souls and brains of societies in different parts of the world. For the first time in history was such an action initiated and carried out by conscious, courageous revolutionary, socialist, democratic, and libertarian people from all over the world and from so many different societies on behalf of the Kurdish Freedom Struggle.

This revealed how far the paradigm of democratic modernity, developed by Rêber Apo, has spread throughout the world, how deeply it has affected people and societies wherever it has reached, and how strongly it has been embraced. It clearly showed the extent to which the Apoist freedom movement has already spread throughout the world. In all these respects, it was important and meaningful. Undoubtedly, there has been a great struggle for fifty years, a struggle led by Rêber Apo that has ranged from the fiercest guerrilla warfare to the most general democratic political action amongst the society, to intense serhildans⁶. But it is the first time that the struggle has became globalized to this extent. It is the first time that the cause spread to all corners of the world and that it united so many different social segments for one cause, and this was an important situation. It also affected Kurdish society, it had a thought-provoking and attractive effect on all of us. It affected friend and foe alike. Our international friends gained more willpower, they embrace and believe that the Kurdish freedom struggle will indeed spread to the world and succeed as a global revolution, and that it will contribute to their own struggles for a free and democratic life. On this basis, their support, relations, alliances, and participation in the struggle developed. A global democracy movement, a global freedom movement, has emerged with the first modest steps as a very ambitious and vibrant movement.

This situation not only positively affects all the oppressed, but of course it also frightens all the rulers. It frightens the male-dominated mentality and politics of all the ruling state powers, all those who are the rulers of the capitalist modernity system today, and all those who benefit from it. It has also alarmed them, they are forming alliances with each other, they are discussing the effects of the freedom struggle that is developing from Kurdistan to a global level, how much damage it will cause to their own interests, and therefore, how they should take a common stance against this struggle. It is indisputable that this is the main agenda of the ruling system, power, and state diplomacy in every field. It is not only the AKP-MHP fascist administration that is alarmed, it is not limited to the diplomacy and politics of the sovereign powers in Kurdistan. This struggle is a struggle that effects the politics and diplomacy of all sovereign powers, especially the USA and NATO, and has become a priority agenda. The global freedom movement has brought us to such a level.

In the beginning, it was a struggle against the global capitalist hegemony that divided Kurdistan, created the Kurdish question, and carried out the Kurdish genocide. Despite the continued struggle in Kurdistan at the level of ideological struggle or guerrilla struggle, its essence was a global struggle. It was a struggle against global capitalist hegemony. Now this reality has become more obvious. It is no longer limited to Kurdistan but has gained a regional and global dimension. It has ceased to be just an ideological-military struggle and has become the subject of all kinds of political, social, cultural, artistic, and literary studies and struggles. This issue is important. Therefore, the fact that we are carrying out such a global freedom campaign also has added to the splendor of this 2024 Newroz. This campaign has made Kurdish society, women, youth, Kurdish friends, and neighboring people believe in victory, it has raised their hopes much more, it has strengthened their belief in victory and their belief in success. This increased courage and sacrifice. It made them more combative. On this basis, the global freedom campaign grew and developed.

On the 25th anniversary of the struggle against the February 15 conspiracy, it really reached a peak. Those who lead the campaign declared that the first phase had been completed, that the second phase had begun, and that this phase would be of mass mobilization. For the struggle against the international conspiracy⁷, such a level is necessary. There was a mass resistance, a mass protest against the conspiracy, and a stance against the Imrali system of torture, isolation, and genocide. Throughout the month of March, this turned into a struggle that constantly peaked with new developments. The marches, gatherings, seminars, and panels on the occasion of March 8, the International Working Women’s Day, became a mass struggle that intertwined women’s freedom with the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and the struggle for the solution of the Kurdish question. On the one hand, it further developed the consciousness and struggle of women’s freedom, and on the other hand, it brought the global freedom movement to a mass peak. Newroz magnifies and strengthens this even more. It is the peak of a real freedom movement. This happened all over Kurdistan, all over the world, and thereby it is indeed making Newroz much more lively, enthusiastic, and in accordance with its meaning, as well as growing and advancing our global freedom campaign and making it reach a peak.

These developments came to life not only with the current actions, but also with the resistance that pioneered and shaped them. Foremost, among these is the resistance on Imrali, the resistance of Rêber Apo. The Imrali system of solitary confinement, torture, isolation and genocide has completed its 25th year and entered its 26th year during such a struggle. Rêber Apo’s resistance against it has left behind 25 years. A quarter of a century has passed. It is a process that, when analyzed, can help understand many things. It is a process that contains enough information to understand the life of a person, to define his resistance, and to define the life of a society. That is what these 25 years of struggle against the Imrali system of solitary confinement, torture, isolation and genocide have shown. The aims of both the Imrali system and the mentality and politics which created it, were tried to be understood more accurately and deeply by Rêber Apo on Imrali, where he has been living an inexpressible resistance against it for 25 years. We try to understand the conspiracy and the struggle against it on this 25th anniversary and draw our conclusions. We continued our efforts to understand each step more accurately and deeply on the basis of analysis, to see the developments and successes in this regard, as well as to reveal and become aware of the mistakes and shortcomings and to draw the necessary lessons to overcome them together with their causes.

Undoubtedly, the determining factor for Newroz being celebrated by tens of millions of people, is the united goal for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo. It is the results and achievements of his resistance. This resistance has exposed the reality of the global capitalist modernity system. It has eliminated various falsifications and masks. It has revealed what kind of genocidal system it is, it has revealed what kind of genocidal mentality and politics it is based on, and what kind of an order of exploitation and aggression that aims to destroy nature and society. It pushed aside those false discourses of democracy and freedom. The Imrali resistance exposed the reality of the system of capitalist modernity.

Rêber Apo also analyzed this reality in its historical and contemporary dimensions. He revealed and condemned what it meant in the face of the truth of life, how it involved a great deviation, and how it is of anti-human and anti-society nature. Rêber Apo’s stance, struggle, and prison writings exposed and condemned all these. Rêber Apo won the Imrali struggle. He succeeded against the Ecevit government, and he succeeded against the AKP administrations headed by Tayyip Erdogan. Through the Imrali struggle, Rêber Apo brought about a revolution of mentality, an intellectual revolution. These evaluations exposed the whole situation, redefined the truth of life and thus brought tens of thousands of years of human thought to a new synthesis of freedom.

When one talks about the Imrali resistance, he or she should not take a narrow approach or try to understand it in a simple way. The resistance against the physical and psychological oppression of this system and the resistance to frustrate its annihilating, destructive, and corrosive aims should not be underestimated in any way. There is nothing like it. Such oppression is unique, as is the resistance against it. The reality of the Rêber Apo’s resistance should not be compared to or confused with others. Because Rêber Apo responded not only physically but also by creating an alternative, by creating new thoughts, and most of all by breaking this Imrali oppression and isolation. The reality of Imrali must be understood in this way.

Rêber Apo stated before: “The Imrali system of oppression and persecution was the conveyor of this whole re-birth, the birth of the paradigm”. Based on this, he evaluated the past of the struggle. He concluded that if the oppression and persecution does not kill him, that it can only strengthen him. As he frustrated the attacks in the face of the international conspiracy, Rêber Apo turned the Imrali struggle into the greatest field of revolutionary development. As this process not only nullified his extermination which was the aim, but also brought about the greatest revolution in mentality that showed the path of victory for the freedom movement through the paradigm shift. He reduced the environment of oppression and persecution to an extent where he regarded it as the conveyor of such a revolution of mentality. Rêber Apo knew how to turn the enemy headquarters, the headquarters of genocide, into the heart of the greatest revolutionary development, the greatest revolution of mentality in history. These facts need to be seen and understood well. It is necessary to understand the Imrali resistance, the paradigm shift, the quarter-century-long stance of Rêber Apo, to understand that will, consciousness, power of thought and action correctly. In any way, being a ‘leader’ is a unique situation. If everyone were leaders, there would be no point in a leader. Therefore, Rêber Apo managed to turn the Imrali environment into the strongest environment for the development of the leadership. While everyone was describing it as an environment of extinction, Rêber Apo transformed it into a great development on the basis of rebirth, transcending national leadership to become a global leadership, and revealing the theory, program, strategy and tactics, and style of fighting for the liberation and freedom of all oppressed people. These are issues that need to be understood correctly. Without a doubt, this is not sufficiently understood. This is true for the PKK, for the Kurds. It is also valid for all humanity. But even a limited comprehension, even a first-hand confrontation, affects people this much. It changes their mentality, their feelings, their style. It leads to such radical changes in understanding and life.

Further advancement of this, a stronger understanding of the reality of Rêber Apo and the Imrali resistance will undoubtedly make this struggle grow more, it will allow it to flow freely and reach the world. It will present a new alternative world, a world of freedom and democracy, a world where people live side by side as brothers and sisters on the basis of women’s freedom, where social life prevails, where the perversion of power and state, the perversion of monopolization, and the system of theft are completely eliminated. It is necessary to see and believe in this. It is necessary to see that the paradigm of Rêber Apo and the Imrali resistance show the way to this. People embrace it so strongly because they see this.

On the other hand, we have a guerrilla resistance that approaches this situation with great courage and sacrifice, and without ever deviating from its essence. It is not a situation that has emerged out of nowhere, it was a process that developed with the development of Rêber Apo, with Newroz becoming Newroz again. In fact, there have always been actions carried out. Through the prison resistance, the guerrilla in the mountain was created. The prison resistance formed the core of the movement, until the breakthrough of August 15⁸. Before that it was really very bleak. Some people still knew about Newroz, but it was not a part of society’s life anymore. It was almost forgotten. There was no organized and effective action, nothing that shaped the life of society and organizations. Newroz back then, had turned into a spring festival, detached from the purpose of struggle. It had become a picnic. In the 80s and 90s, the guerrilla, the great prison resistance in Amed, the freedom march that Rêber Apo started in the Newroz of ’73, they revived it. They revived it with their consciousness about its true history. The guerrilla was the correct representation of that struggle. It was the guerrilla that broke the bar on consciousness and action in society. As the guerrilla broke this bar in the 80s, from the beginning of the 90s the people’s serhildans in North Kurdistan emerged. This was a product of the resistance of the guerrilla struggle. The serhildans also emerged on the basis of the Newroz celebration. It was these two realities that brought society to its feet and embodied the line of Rêber Apo in practice and action. That is why Newroz and the reality of martyrs are so interconnected.

We have evaluated the historical Imrali resistance as a very important factor that brought Newroz to the level it is at today, and the guerrilla resistance should be seen as the second pillar. These were the main forces that enabled the global freedom campaign of October 10. Since then it continued to grow and reached a peak on Newroz. Also particularly the process that started with the October 1, 2023, the action in Ankara is important. The sacrificial action of comrades Erdal and Rojhat was a turning point, it shook everyone and forced everyone, friend and foe alike, first and foremost the guerrilla, the party, revolutionary forces, militants, the youth and women of the society, the enemy, in short, it shook everyone, to solidify their stance. What is the right attitude? How should patriots and revolutionaries of the period act? To what extent are there opportunities and possibilities for action and struggle? They answered their questions correctly.

This action proved all theories of guerrilla weaknesses wrong, it destroyed many false ideas and prejudices against the guerrilla. Just like the great prison resistance, just like the Imrali resistance, it revealed that this struggle can be carried out anywhere, under any condition. It showed once again that the special war of the current power and state system is not omnipotent, that it contains great weaknesses, and that it is therefore possible to successfully develop revolutionary actions that will strike lethal blows. In this way, it destroyed the defamation aiming the guerrilla, it also destroyed all the approaches which insisted that the enemy was too strong. This was the actual effect, it forced everyone to question themselves and correct themselves by getting rid of their mistakes and errors, it forced them to self-criticize, thus becoming a great force of criticism.

The results of this, combined with the efforts that I have pointed out, led to a new wave of activism in the Medya Defense Zones⁹, which we could not achieve in previous years. The revolutionary operations of the guerrilla that developed in the Zap area at the end of November and December, in January and mid-February, were actions that represented the line put forward with the sacrifice action of Ankara, the Imrali resistance, showing that this can continue in guerrilla battlefields. Yes, the war is waged with military results, but today it is the propaganda war that has a much bigger effect. The fact that this situation could be partially transformed into propaganda along with the realities of the Zap battlefield being shown to the public of Kurdistan, Turkey and the world, changed the political-military situation, shook the enemy front, pushed them into a great fear, and symbolized a very heavy defeat for them.

For our people, our international friends and humanity, this was a source of great morale and enthusiasm. Indeed, the guerrilla put into practice the practical leadership of the global freedom campaign of October 10. It regained that position, that initiative. These actions may have been limited, but the level of impact was within this framework. That is to say, the point is not about making as much actions as possible, not to shed as much blood as possible, but to do the right thing at the right time. When a good action is done well and at the right time, may it be a military or political action, it can yield the greatest results. We have seen this reality in these latest actions.

Now, as for the good news shared by the HPG on Newroz. The guerrilla also conveyed the results of last year’s battle against UCAVs. While the enemy was trying to cover up this situation, at the same time they were trying to learn and understand how this happened. The enemy’s army didn’t know what was going on, just their commanders knew. This announcement was based on such a strong reception of Newroz. Expressing the existence of such a new tactical level led to a great expectation and excitement in the society. It also created a great search and fear in the enemy. The fact that the UCAVs, on which the enemy relied the most, were shot down was a fatal blow for the enemy front. Because the enemy had pinned all its hopes on these UCAVs. This new development has been a source of great enthusiasm, joy, courage and sacrifice for the society, for all those who struggle for freedom. This will have an important impact on the struggle to be waged in the new Newroz year.

As Newroz has brought the campaign to a peak, the participation in the struggle, the will to struggle, the enthusiasm, and social uprising will pave the way for much greater struggle to develop in the four parts of Kurdistan. Society will participate more in the struggle, and there will be more focus on self-defense. The global freedom movement will become effective in every field. In short, it will have a much more fatal blow against the enemy front, and it will also have a further positive impact on the forces of struggle for freedom and democracy.

It is necessary to draw historical lessons and constantly interpret history. Also, it is important to discuss and try to understand today’s political-military situation, the interests, opportunities and possibilities of various forces, and therefore how their plans and practices may be. It is especially important to try to evaluate the enemy front on this basis.

The AKP was not formed out of natural developments, the forces carrying out the genocidal attacks against the Kurdish people are not just any regular army. We know very well what was aimed with the so-called coup attempt of July 15, 2016. Before that, they put Ilker Başbug, who commanded their army for years, in prison for two years accusing him of ‘establishing a terrorist organization’. There is no Turkish army anymore. It was defeated in the war in Kurdistan and its influence in the Turkish society and state was destroyed, its existence was destroyed. That army no longer exists in the war in Kurdistan. There are just fascist gangs like ISIS left. The force currently fighting against the guerrillas in Kurdistan is no different from ISIS. Many of those fighting against the guerrilla are ISIS members or fascists loyal to the MHP. They are enemies to the Kurdish people, they are the conscious enemies of freedom. They are racist, chauvinist, nationalist and turanist groups. Those fighting say: “We are the iron fist, we will unite all Turks, everyone has to be Turkish”. This is their ideological approach. With such ideological brainwashing do they direct people towards the genocide in Kurdistan. This is how they carry out the attacks on the Kurdish people, especially on the women, youth, guerrillas and the leadership. It is not possible for them to attack like this with normal people. These attacks are not acceptable from a human point of view. Now the shooting down of the UCAVs created a new situation, it will no longer be the same. The enthusiasm that this has created in our forces, the guerrilla and society is irreversible.

World War I was started to reorganize European-Asian trade and energy routes. The first conflict started with the plan to create the Berlin-Baghdad railway, a trade route from India, Basra to Europe through the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans wanted to run it with the Germans, but Britain declared war, occupied Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and blocked this route. It did not allow the German capital to open the trade route it wanted to establish on the basis of the German-Ottoman alliance. India was in its own hands, it was a colony of Britain. The British Empire was based on India, Australia, etc. and was called the ‘Empire on which the sun never set’. Then German capital gathered itself under Hitler’s fascism and wanted to develop the road to India, which would be developed from Anatolia, Mesopotamia and the Gulf, from the north of the Black Sea, through the Caucasus and Iran. The Soviet Union, America and Britain made an alliance, fought in Moscow, blocked it in Iran and defeated Hitler fascism. German capital was defeated for the second time. Its efforts and attacks to redivide the world, to increase its share of the world’s wealth and to reach first place were broken for the second time.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with the Gulf War in 1990, the USA launched a new attack to establish the US Empire under the name of the ‘New World Order’, World War III refers to this attack. The Middle East is at the center of this. With the Gulf War, the US again developed its influence over Iraq, the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. It then continued this by invading Afghanistan, and increased its occupation of the Gulf and Iraq by limiting the Kurdish struggle for freedom and developing the international conspiracy. It tried to take advantage of the Arab society’s search for democracy.

The internal conflict of the system, the conflict between the attack of supranational capital and the resistance of the status quo that wanted to protect the borders gradually resulted in the Afghanistan and Iraq war. Then the US withdrew from Afghanistan. It embarked on the war in Ukraine. On the one hand, it strengthened its military-economic control over this area by seizing the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and limiting Iran, and on the other hand, it frustrated the alternative energy road initiative of the China-Russia alliance with the Ukraine war. After that, by creating an Arab-Israeli reconciliation, it unveiled a new road project from the Gulf to Greece through the Eastern Mediterranean via Israel. The hegemonic powers reached such an agreement. Some expected Iran to disrupt this situation. Since this situation is contradictory with Iran’s old structure, there is a partial conflict, but Iran has not directly confronted the project and has not taken a position of attack. Such a project affected the Turkish Republic the most. Because historically, it was the old Silk Road, the Europe-Asia trade route of the Middle Ages, which passed from the Ottoman Empire through Turkey and they profited from it. They were hoping that this trade route would pass through Turkey no matter what they did, that Turkey would be the crossroads of energy routes.

For a hundred years, the Turkish state used its geostrategic position in the Middle East against the Soviet Union, “We are the bridge between Asia and Europe”, they said. They have always based their existence on this ‘geographically strategic position’ belief. As the search for a trade route from the north of the Black Sea via Ukraine was sabotaged, Turkey hoped that it would become more prominent. But an important section of the capital powers decided to put Israel in the forefront.

Rêber Apo had said that Turkey was ‘Proto Israel’. In the first half of the 20th century, the system spread the nation-state model to the Middle East through the Turkish Republic. In the second half of the 20th century, it developed the state of Israel and tried to change the balance in the Middle East through the Arab-Israeli conflict. Now it seems that in the first half of the 21st century, they want to make real Israel, not proto-Israel, the decisive and more effective power in the Middle East, and a significant part of the capital has decided on this. They are raising the question of Israel’s security. Not just its security, but the question of Israel becoming the decisive power in the Middle East. The Trump administration was slightly against this. Therefore, it was operating the existing system, and the Turkish Republic was happy with this, thinking that it could maintain its position in the Middle East. The Biden administration developed opposition to this, there were conflicts within the US, and we will see how new conflicts will develop in the upcoming elections. There will be a Trump-Biden struggle again. It determines the orientation of US capital and strategy. It is said that ‘Americanists and globalists’ are clashing. But the Biden administration achieved a certain development by withdrawing from Afghanistan, developing the Ukraine war, frustrating the Russia-China projects, increasing security and economic control over Europe. Then it revised Israel. It took steps to develop the Arab-Israeli alliance. It reorganized Iran-Arab relations by creating Iran-Saudi and Iran-Egypt alliances.

The issue of the energy route, which was first projected in the early 1900s, this issue that has led to war for a hundred and twenty years, has now emerged in the form of a new route based on the technical power available outside Turkey. Turkey did not expect this, it assumed that this would not be the case, it saw itself as the most important player and therefore everyone would be dependent on it. When it saw that this was not the case, it made attempts to prevent this. The Karabakh war was a part of this. Together with Russia, they wanted to connect the Middle East and Asia to Turkey through Azerbaijan. Iran and Israel blocked this together. They took Karabakh. but they did not allow Armenia to take the Iranian border. They frustrated this with the Iran-Armenia agreement. Turkey also created the Gaza war. In case Turkey could not become an energy route, they cited the war in Kurdistan and the lack of a stable environment for capital, so Turkey wanted to reveal that Israel was insecure, that such a route would not work, by creating the Gaza war. The current conflict over this.

The Gaza war is definitely such a war. It is not a war of liberation for the Palestinians, and they do not have the power over such a war. Hamas is not the Palestinian Liberation Movement. On the contrary, it is an agent organization established to liquidate the Palestine Liberation Movement, just like Hizbulkontra, like today’s Hüda-Par. For this reason, since the beginning of the 2000s, the Leadership has considered that situation as an effort to create a Kurdish Hamas. This should not be forgotten. Israel and many other powers had Hamas founded together in order to push back the Palestine Liberation Movement. By doing so, they have already pushed it back, and now they are using Hamas as they wish. They used it in this conflict via Tayyip Erdoğan. Tayyip Erdoğan supposedly wanted to sabotage the newly declared path by mobilizing Hamas. It was mainly America and Israel who wanted the trade route, they had made secret preparations that Hamas would attack on Tayyip’s orders. The US and Israel did this under the table without being noticed. When the attack happened the reason was revealed, they were trying to crush Hamas and secure the energy route, they are trying to clear the way. Just as Saddam’s entry into Kuwait was a pretext for the Gulf War, the Twin Tower attack was a pretext for the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the Hamas attack was a pretext to liquidate Hamas and clear the way. Here Tayyip Erdoğan was used by the system. Tayyip Erdoğan thought that he could sabotage the energy route with such an initiative. Some circles, namely America and Israel, calculated that Erdogan would make such a move and misled him on this basis. Tayyip Erdoğan later realized that the initial plan in pushing him to provoke Hamas, was in fact a plan to crush Hamas. Now he is trying to get out of it, but he is not out of it. But he also wants to turn this situation in his favor. If his initial plan fails and Hamas is crushed, he wants to develop a second plan to crush the PKK. He is pushing various circles in this direction and sees the environment as favorable for itself.

He also discussed this in NATO, and made Sweden’s entry into NATO a subject of negotiation. By pushing the US and NATO, he got a certain approval in this direction. On the one hand, he received a certain amount of arms and political approval from NATO in exchange for Sweden’s entry into NATO, this is to reduce the PKK threat. On the other hand, taking Israel’s attack on Gaza as an example, he wants to develop military attacks to destroy and liquidate the PKK in a similar way. He has already immediately attacked Rojava, tried to attack Shengal [Sinjar] and the Medya Defense Zones. Now it wants to widen these attacks.

The Turkish state has seen this. While trying to develop a situation in which it would dominate the Middle East much more, it saw that it was being excluded from the Middle East. In order to prevent this, it is attacking by mobilizing all the means of Turkey. For this, it envisions destroying the PKK. By crushing the PKK, it seeks to create a more secure and shorter trade route by making an agreement with Iraq, and to attract a lot of capital to its side. In one way, this is a plan. On the other hand, if this is not the case, it seeks to occupy Iraq and South Kurdistan on the basis of the Misak-ı Milli¹⁰ and take them under its sovereignty; moreover, it seeks to expand towards energy fields via invasions in Arab areas in Iraq and Syria under the pretext of Turkmens. It has many alternative plans in terms of goals. The realization of all these goals depends on the crushing of the guerrilla and the liquidation of the PKK. It is the PKK’s struggle that has brought them to this situation. It is his fascist colonialist-genocidal mentality and politics that led to this.

On the basis of that mentality and politics, it wants to crush the PKK, complete the Kurdish genocide and turn itself into a colonialist, occupying and imperialist power in the Middle East. It also wants to change the energy route, and even if it cannot change the route, it wants to seize some of the energy fields of Rojava and South Kurdistan, to own the sources of wealth and on this basis to occupy its way to Kirkuk. It wants to seize Rojava’s oil. They have such pursuits. Because in its current state, with this mentality and politics, it can only carry out such a domination. For this, the PKK must be liquidated and the guerrilla crushed. Everything is focused on this.

Turkey has some support from the US and NATO, on the basis of the Sweden-NATO membership, but they are not powerful enough to use it. Until now, it has gotten to this situation by receiving power and support. Still, it is was paralyzed in Zap, Metina and Avashin. They continue to take blows. In the current situation, it must either retreat or go forward and crush the guerrilla presence completely. If they retreats, they are defeated. And that will bring collapse. The only alternative is to launch new attacks. They also see that any attack carried out with the old methods will not lead to success. The attack with that force has led to the current result, it needs new forces to change this, to secure success.

This is how they turned to Iran. In this sense, they are trying to get support from Iran. They want to add the support of Iran and Iraq and PUK to the support of the US, NATO and Russia. Their search is on this basis. They have also come up with a joint force plan. They wants to transform Iraqi, PUK, KDP and Turkmen forces into a joint force under the control of the Turkish army and occupy the area stretching from Zakho to Sulaymaniyah with troops. Thus, there is a plan to completely encircle the Media Defense Areas from the south and increase its attacks from the north, aiming to completely crush the guerrilla in the Medya Defense Zones, Zap, Garê and Qandil. Such a military approach is being planned. It is in search and effort for this. It tried to do something similar in 1992. This was the reason why they stopped the Iran-Iraq War in ’88. At that time they called it the ‘Anfal Hammer attack’. Then they formed the Hewlêr administration in ’92.

They saw this: They cannot advance only by attacking from the north from one direction, they will be paralyzed, they will be hit, they will be annihilated. They cannot even protect themselves, let alone advance. They have accepted that they cannot defeat the guerrilla unless they are sufficiently encircled from the south and other directions, unless joint pressure is created from all sides. They want to develop such a siege, their negotiations are on this basis. On the one hand, they threaten the Iraqi government by using the Tigris-Euphrates water. On the other hand, they are making threats like ‘if you don’t do it, we will do it with our own power’. They are trying to lure Iraq and the PUK here by giving some opportunities and some threats. Negotiations are taking place. In the last talks between the Turkish Republic and Baghdad, it was reflected in the press that ‘we have decided to carry out a joint operation with Iraq in Iraqi territory against organizations that harm Turkey’. For months, the Turkish Republic has been making a great effort to achieve this, but it has not been fully clarified. In order for Iraq and the PUK to determine a policy, the approaches of the US and Iran must match. Because they are under the influence of both. There is such an intense rivalry between them.

It is difficult for Iraq, PUK, KDP, etc. to make an alliance at that level with the Turkish Republic in order to destroy the PKK. However, they have provided a certain level of support until now, they want to continue it, they even state that they can increase it a little more, but it is not possible for all of them to fall into the KDP’s situation as Turkey wants. Moreover, guerrilla actions and revolutionary operations disrupted the plans of the Turkish Republic. Because it was manipulating these circles through fear, and that fear disappeared when they were hit by the guerrilla. Eventually, those circles realized that Erdogan was bluffing. Because the Turkish Republic cannot attack the PKK by themselves, they want to achieve this by using these circles but everyone sees that the Turkish Republic is weak, it will not succeed and the Turkish Republic will use them. They have seen all this with the last guerrilla revolutionary operations. At this stage, everyone is looking out for their own interests, because they are not soldiers of the Turkish Republic. On this basis, the Turkish republic has difficulty in reaching such an alliance.

The latest situation will make this much more complicated. If the UCAVs are also falling, then of course YNK and Iraq will evaluate this situation more, they will not want to throw themselves in the fire for the Turkish Republic. Moreover, even the KDP may evaluate this situation. It will have a very frightening and deterrent effect on the ground, within the KDP. It is a good move for us. The military developments since the beginning of October have affected the political situation quite positively. The revolutionary operations and the recent actions on the Amediyê and Cûdî mountain have indeed gained a level that surpasses a hill, a position, or an action, but one that determines politics. It means that an army can be defeated with one action. It is just like the field battles of the Middle Ages.

Turkey relied on its technical power. The fact that it is being hit like this will make every power that would ally with the Turkish Republic think twice, and it will make the KDP think. Because the current situation is frightening. In this respect, the Turkish Republic is making an effort, but it is not getting full results.

The Turkish Republic wanted to take the power it received from NATO and the US, and the Iranian side, and turn it into a plan to encircle and crush the PKK with one move. The Turkish Republic is in need of such a thing, it will try to achieve this, and after the elections, such attempts may be on the agenda. We need to take it into consideration, we need to approach it seriously, its aims are clear. If it gains the opportunity, either it will seize energy resources or it will open a road, whichever it achieves, the first thing it must do is to crush the guerrilla and liquidate the PKK, this is its goal. But without this, Turkey will not be able to get out of the current mess it is in.

Turkey can get out of the current situation with the PKK and the guerrilla, with a change in mentality, with democratization, with the overthrow of AKP-MHP fascism and the democratization of Turkey. In the current situation, the fascist dictatorship is very dominant. It dominates both the government and the opposition. This situation can already be seen concretely during the election process. Within the CHP, racist chauvinist nationalists are emerging to the extent that they are a match for the AKP and MHP. Still, Turkey’s mentality is being shaken, our struggle has gone beyond our borders and is now affecting Turkey with all its power. The elections will be a factor, this remains to be seen.

The AKP-MHP fascism will attack whether it wins the elections or not, it will try itself on the basis of the plan in question, but if it wins the elections it will attack with greater morale. In the current situation, it has lost in the war, and if it loses the election, the Iraq-PUK-Iran front will no longer give the support it wants. Then they will be weak. Even if there are attempts to attack, it will be easier to resist and break it.

This new Newroz year is indeed a year of new and great developments. It will have important political consequences. On this basis, we will concentrate on achieving our leadership tasks by renewing, changing, transforming and educating ourselves more according to the Apoist line, understanding such a process correctly and developing creative methods of struggle. Our approach to Newroz, drawing lessons from Newroz, understanding it correctly and welcoming the new Newroz year correctly and successfully depends on this.

We live and celebrate Newroz on this basis. On this basis, we once again celebrate the Newroz of our comrades, our people and our friends, especially Rêber Apo. We commemorate our Newroz martyrs and all the heroic martyrs of the Freedom Struggle with respect and gratitude.

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