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Rêber Apo¹ has proclaimed the manifesto for the 21st century. It is of great importance for both us as freedom movement and for our people and international friends to truly understand the essence of this manifesto. We are, of course, trying to fully understand Rêber Apo, and based on that, we approach the duties and responsibilities that the process puts before us.

With his declaration, Rêber Apo has set some fundamental problems and, at the same time, the solution to these on the agenda of everyone. By doing so, he aims at solving the Kurdish question through democratic political means rather than on the grounds of war. Since the beginning of this struggle, it was always Rêber Apo’s quest to find a solution to the Kurdish question. What he has put out now in front of everyone could be this solution. That is why he called it the paradigm of peace and democratic society.

The capitalist modernity had intervened in the Middle East to the detriment of the peoples. And this intervention, which led to great upheavals in the Middle East, is still continuing today. Against this intervention from the outside at the hands of the forces of capitalist modernity, Rêber Apo developed the peoples’ intervention. He showed how the peoples of the Middle East could get out of this impasse, how a democratic Middle East could emerge. That is the perspective that Rêber Apo put in front of the peoples. He again in his declaration revealed why real socialism collapsed and on which principles the socialist understanding and struggle should be developed instead. Real socialism collapsed mainly for internal reasons that may have been to a certain extent accelerated by external factors. It was related to the understanding of state, power, and nation, and it was also related to the understanding of the party. With the collapse of real socialism in the Soviet Union, states, parties, and organizations shaped according to real socialism collapsed. With his manifesto, Rêber Apo aims to eliminate the negative effects of real socialism and to develop a more correct socialist understanding. Rêber Apo presents his analysis to all the forces waging a socialist struggle and addresses the question of how a more correct socialist understanding can be developed, thereby giving socialism a new significance.

It is crucial that the women comrades consider the manifesto as the beginning of a renaissance. Rêber Apo stands for freedom and democracy. He paves the way for the development of a free life, a free society and a free personality, and has made it very clear that no freedom can yield results without the development of women’s freedom. He has placed women’s liberation at the foundation of all freedoms, and highlighted the relationship between women and socialism, women and democracy, women and freedom, women and socialism. As Rêber Apo has put it, those who aim for freedom, democracy and socialism must take women’s freedom as the basis of their struggle. As a measure of whether an organization, a struggle, or an individual is socialist or not, the approach to women and the approach to the line of women’s liberation are decisive. Rêber Apo has based the manifesto of the 21st century on this basic pillar and put this in front of everyone.

To be capable of fully understanding today’s developments, one must have a good understanding of history and particularly of the developments of the relationship between the Kurdish and the Turkish nations in history. The settlement of the Turks in Anatolia was realized through the Kurdish-Turkish alliance. Again, the development of the empire of the Turks was based on this alliance. Whenever the Turkish state, and even before the Ottoman state, the Turkish nation faced serious dangers, it overcame these dangerous situations with the support of the Kurds relying on this alliance. This is a well-known fact that no one can deny. At the very beginning, there was an alliance developed with Sultan Sencer. This alliance had a crucial role in the development of the Ottoman Empire, as shown in the battles at Malazgirt and Chaldiran. Later, when the Ottomans faced disintegration, when the Turkish state and the Turkish nation faced a great danger, Mustafa Kemal, again relying on the Kurdish Alliance, again with the support of the Soviets at the time, pulled the Turkish state and the Turkish nation out of this dangerous situation, and the Treaty of Lausanne was signed. Until Lausanne, the Turkish state attached great importance to the Kurds. Until then, Kurds were granted autonomy. There are many correspondences that show this. There is also the Constitution of 1921. Later, when the Turkish state received the title deed at Lausanne and the danger to itself ceased to exist, it thought that it no longer needed the support of the Kurds and the Soviets, so it amended the Constitution of 1921. In other words, it broke the Kurdish alliance. In order to turn towards the Kurds, it enacted the Takrir-i Sukun Law, and based on this, it developed the Constitution of 1924 with many further practices alike to follow.

The role of capitalist modernity is, of course, decisive in this. Because the system of capitalist modernity has put the nation state model in front of Turkey. It has not only tasked Turkey with the task of developing this state in Turkey, but has also given it the task and responsibility of developing the nation state system all over the Middle East. For this reason, the Turkish state has taken monism as a basis in Turkey. The Turkish state is based on a fascist understanding following the mentality that only accepts one nation, one homeland, one language, and so on. Denial and extermination of the Kurds were brought to the agenda, and many massacres developed on this basis.

Turkish-Kurdish relations regressed mainly after the establishment of the Turkish state. This is the direct result of the nation state created by capitalism. Because the nation state is based on uniformity. It is based on eliminating the existing variety of cultures, peoples, and languages by creating a uniform nation state. This has been the basis of the Turkish state. Turkish-Kurdish relations, which were based on voluntariness for a long time in history, have been poisoned. The Turkish state and governments constantly blame the Kurds. It constantly develops propaganda that the Kurds have betrayed them, that they are separatists, that they want to split up their country. It poisons society by doing so and creates enmity against the Kurds. And this despite the fact that it was they themselves who committed treason and separatism. Looking at history, it was the Kurds who gave the Turks the crucial support in all critical periods. They have overcome all dangers with the support of the Kurds. If they have made Turkey their homeland, it is thanks to the Kurds. This fact is distorted today. If relations have deteriorated, if brotherhood has deteriorated, it is not the Kurds, but the Turkish state itself, the Turkish governments, the capitalist modernist system behind them. It is the nation state understanding.

Today, the nation state system is being destroyed, particularly in the Middle East, which is being reshaped and restructured. But it is not yet clear exactly how the outcome will be and what kind of further methods will be implemented. For this reason, the Turkish state, which is fully based on the nation state system, is now facing a serious turning point. It can no longer insist on the system as before. They still try to, but no matter how much they do, this system has been overcome. The restoration of Turkish-Kurdish relations is possible only if the understanding and solution of the democratic nation are taken as a basis. If the understanding of the democratic nation model is not taken as a basis, if a change in mentality is not realized on this basis, and if the old mentality is insisted on, that is, if the nation state is insisted on, it is not possible to improve these relations. For this reason, Rêber Apo has put the Turkish-Kurdish history in front of everyone again. He has paved the way to redevelop the voluntary alliance of the two peoples in history. Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood and unity is only possible with the acceptance of the existence and rights of the Kurdish people. The policy of denial and annihilation must be abandoned by recognizing the natural rights of the Kurdish people and society and by developing the democratic nation as a solution. This is the basis of the call and manifesto developed by Rêber Apo.

We hope that the Turkish state, the government, especially those who love Turkey and consider themselves patriotic, will become aware of this reality, give up the insistence on the politics of denial and destruction, and take the democratic re-establishing of the broken relationship with the Kurds as a political basis. Rêber Apo, the Kurdish people, and the freedom movement are once again trying to fulfill their historical responsibility to restore this relationship and to eliminate the distortions and perversions. I hope that the Turkish state and government and the Turkish society in general will fulfill their part of this historical responsibility.

Since the denial-extermination policy was carried against Kurdish society, everything that belonged to the Kurds was destroyed. Kurdish society was basically dying. It was at that moment that Rêber Apo launched his historic intervention. The situation at that point was against the Turks as much as it was against the Kurds. Rêber Apo brought this up many times, pointing out that the Turks can’t live without the Kurds, and the other way round. He often highlighted, that the annihilation of the Kurds would bring about the annihilation of the Turks themselves. Since all ways were blocked and the Kurdish people and society faced a great danger, Rêber Apo had to develop the armed struggle in order to open the way for democratic politics. Apart from developing the armed struggle, there was no other way for Kurds to express themselves, it had been eliminated. In order to conduct democratic politics, it was necessary to protect one’s own existence. Until the martyrdom of our comrade Haki Karer, there was no such aim to develop the armed struggle. Until then, work was being carried out in society. The work was a political work. But when Haki Karer was murdered, it was understood that in order to be able to work, it is necessary to be able to protect oneself. That’s when armed struggle came on our agenda. The aim was to create a political environment for Kurds; to create a political, legal environment. This was created through armed struggle. In this respect, the armed struggle was right and legitimate. As a result, the Kurdish people began to live again and got back on their feet. It has reappropriated the values of Newroz² and serhildans³ have flared up.

Rêber Apo had achieved this goal in this way. Despite all the heavy circumstances, he had created a people who claimed their future, their freedom, and their values. The Kurdish people had become a people striving for freedom and democracy. What had to be done now was to complete the resurrection with liberation. That is why Rêber Apo said, “The resurrection is complete; the next step is liberation.” He wanted to take the Kurdish question out of the armed struggle and bring it to a political democratic ground and solve it on this basis. He took steps towards this in 1993, and Turgut Ozal tried to approach this initiative accordingly. Turgut Ozal had made a great effort to crush the developing freedom movement, but in the end he realized that the issue could not be solved in this way and that Turkey would only suffer. Therefore, he aimed to follow Rêber Apo in his efforts to solve the issue through democratic political methods. He saw that this was in the interest of Turkey and took steps on this basis. Rêber Apo declared a unilateral ceasefire for the development of this process. Jalal Talabani, the back then secretary general of the PUK, acted as a mediator between Turkey and Rêber Apo during this period and made efforts to develop this process. But the mentality of the Turkish state, based on denial and annihilation, sabotaged these efforts, and Turgut Ozal was murdered. But Rêber Apo did not give up on this goal. He constantly endeavored to take the movement and the struggle to a political and democratic ground. He put such a task before the 5th Congress. He put change, transformation, and restructuring in the movement before the Congress. Although the Congress took some steps in this direction, it could not bring about the kind of change, transformation, and restructuring that Rêber Apo was striving for. Still, Rêber Apo continued this again, always having his aim in mind.

Later on, it was Necmettin Erbakan who took the initiative and formulated some letters addressing Rêber Apo, who responded. Mr. Erbakan had also at some point realized that Turkey’s interest lay in the solution of the Kurdish question, and accordingly he was trying to create the ground for this. But Mr. Erbakan was removed from power before he could take any important steps. Power in Turkey had developed a strong mechanism for self-preservation. Those who were hostile to Kurds could come to power. If the one who came to power carried out the enmity and was successful, he could stay in power. Otherwise he could not stay in power. Rêber Apo wanted to bring the process he started in 1993 and further developed in 1995 with Mr. Necmettin Erbakan to its goal in his August 15 evaluation in 1998. He wanted to complete the change and transformation, the restructuring. For this purpose, he again declared a unilateral ceasefire. But this was responded to with the International Conspiracy. The answer to the question of why someone would want the Kurdish question to remain unsolved, to remain on the ground of war, can in fact quite simply be answered. The war was not only profitable for some powerful circles in Turkey, there were also those who were profitable in the international arena. For this reason, they did not want the Kurdish question to be solved and were sabotaging it. And we must note that as much as we wanted to neutralize them, our efforts were insufficient.

When Rêber Apo was taken hostage in the course of the International Conspiracy, he was still able to complete the change, transformation, and restructuring that he had initiated in 1993 under the conditions of Imrali, which are the most difficult conditions in the world. He developed the paradigm that is based on social ecology, women’s liberation, and democratic society. With this, he wanted to take the struggle to political and legal grounds and solve the issue on this basis. However, the International Conspiracy and its affiliated forces, some forces in Turkey, in southern Kurdistan, and within our own movement intervened. They responded with liquidation. They aimed to exhaust the movement. But the movement stood against this, and Rêber Apo continued his efforts in 2003, 2005, 2009, and 2013. His efforts were always met with sabotage. Therefore, the requirements of the paradigm could never be fully realized. The organization and struggle could not be developed according to its requirements. After the International Conspiracy, it was brought to the agenda that on the basis of the new paradigm, the PKK had reached the end of its life, fulfilled its duties and responsibilities, fulfilled its role, and therefore an organization in accordance with the new paradigm should be developed instead. This was decided at the congress, and so the PKK was liquidated and replaced by KADEK. But with the transition to KADEK, again an organization according to the new paradigm could not be developed. A dangerous situation could not be overcome. That is why Rêber Apo stated that the PKK should be re-founded again. This was to be able to eliminate the liquidationist danger that emerged at that time.

I am shedding light on this here because the liquidation of the PKK is not a recent development, not a recent decision. It is a process that started and developed since 1993. Because the PKK has fulfilled its purpose. The PKK was founded under the influence of real socialism, and in the end it was not enough to sufficiently realize Rêber Apo’s understanding of socialism. The PKK has played its role; it has gone beyond itself and has initiated a great movement. Now it must give way so that a new organization can be formed that corresponds to the reality of the struggle. This is what Rêber Apo put in front of his movement, since the struggle for socialism could not be realized at the desired level. In other words, there is no change in ideology, philosophy, or paradigm. The change is in the understanding of organization and struggle. This needs to be emphasized.

Rêber Apo evaluated the situation in Turkey, the developing situation in the Middle East, and the struggle waged by the movement, and as a result of these evaluations, he called for peace and democratic society. He did not make this call by making any bargain. Rêber Apo took this step on his initiative. He had the ground he had wanted to realize since 1993 but could not do so. He wanted to make use of this. Not only for Kurds, but for Turkey, for the Middle East, for humanity. And as he put it: “If you give me the opportunity, I have the theoretical and practical power. I can solve the problem on a political-legal basis.” He expressed this very clearly. This is what he wants. And he also put some options in front of Turkey. “If democratization is developed in Turkey, if Kurdish denial and extermination are abandoned, if steps are taken towards a democratic, political solution to the Kurdish question, this will benefit everyone. Turkey will gain greatly from this. The peoples of the Middle East and humanity will also gain greatly. If this step is not taken, if the current politics is continued, if this is insisted on, this will aggravate Turkey’s problems even more; Turkey will suffer great damage and lose a great deal.” Why is it like this? Turkey could not get results from the policy of denial and destruction, even though it puts all internal and external means in its service. It had the support of NATO, it had the support of the KDP, and it had the support of Iraq, yet it could not get results. This policy is bankrupt. Many of Turkey’s problems have worsened; Turkey is facing a serious danger.

A great change is taking place in the Middle East, and it will continue. The developments in the Middle East are closely related to Turkey and are to its detriment. In regard to the fact that this is combined with the problems in Turkey, the Kurdish question has gained importance and has come to the fore in the Middle East. For the forces that want to achieve results in the Middle East, the support of the Kurds has become decisive. Whoever gets the support of the Kurds will both solve their problems and get positive results.

Israel is working on it, Iran is working on it, and Turkey is working on it. If Turkey does not take steps towards democratization, if it does not solve the Kurdish question, if it does not solve the problem of democracy, then Turkey will suffer great damage. Rêber Apo focuses on Turkey and wants it to be democratized. This can only be successful with the support of the Kurds, with a Kurdish alliance. “This success will only be possible if Turkey steps back to the founding philosophy of the Turkish Republic and takes it as a basis for democratization,” he said and made his call in this regard. Therefore, the success of this call depends on the steps Turkey will take. No problem in the world has ever been solved by unilateral steps. Rêber Apo took the necessary initiative and said that he lifts the responsibility for this historic process and that he is the guarantor of this process. In order for him to advance this process, he must be given the opportunity. In other words, his conditions must be changed; the Imrali system must be ended. Rêber Apo’s physical freedom and free working conditions must be ensured. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey needs to establish a commission and change the according laws in the constitution. Bahceli said that Rêber Apo should “come and speak in the parliament, in the name of the DEM Party group”. How will he speak? There is no possibility to speak. Only if the laws are changed for Rêber Apo, for the Kurds, if free working conditions are provided, if the Imrali system is torn down, then he can do it. The Turkish state needs to take these steps. Without taking these steps, there is not much that Rêber Apo can do. Therefore, if Turkey wants the process to develop, it needs to improve the working conditions of Rêber Apo. He needs to be able to work freely. The Imrali system must be abolished. Then the requirements of this call will be fulfilled.

The Kurdish people have waged a great struggle. In the course of this struggle, they have paid a high price and suffered great pain. As a result, it has created great value, not only for itself but also for all the people of Turkey, the peoples of the Middle East, and humanity. Therefore, everyone’s eyes are on Rêber Apo and the struggle he is waging. This shows how heavy the duty of Rêber Apo is. But it is not right to put all the burden on the shoulders of Rêber Apo. From the very beginning, Rêber Apo has always assumed his duties and responsibilities towards the Kurdish people, peoples, and humanity, and has always made great efforts to fulfill them. He has done this under the most difficult conditions and impossibilities. It is necessary to share this burden. It is now necessary to assume the responsibility and construction of this process. In order for Rêber Apo’s efforts to yield results, everyone must recognize and fulfill their duties and responsibilities in this process. If there are some concerns among the Kurdish people and some friendly circles, they must read the developments and the history of them well. As I said, it is a people and its international friends who have paid high prices, suffered great pain, and gained great gains as a result. Of course they do not want these to weaken. They expect and want them to be strengthened and brought to a conclusion. This is what Rêber Apo is working on. It is to protect these gains and expand them further. It is to realize the aspirations, dreams, and demands of the Kurdish people, the Turkish people, the peoples of the Middle East, and humanity. All the steps he has taken are on this basis. He is not, as some people say, giving up the struggle, pulling back, or jeopardizing the gains. On the contrary, we are endeavoring to find out how to increase the existing gains and how to put them at the service of the Kurdish people, the Turkish people, and humanity.

Now, some may not fully understand the reality of Rêber Apo, they may have concerns about this, this is normal. But I think that these concerns will gradually be overcome, because many times in our history these concerns have arisen, the people have had concerns, but then they realized that these concerns were in vain. Because every time, Rêber Apo has carried the struggle further and further. For this reason, our people and friends have great confidence in the Rêber Apo. They think that if Rêber Apo is taking some steps, then he must know something. And so far they have not been wrong. Anyway, the truth of the Rêber Apo is not to be mistaken and not to mislead. He has demonstrated this in his life until today. Rêber Apo has never lived a day for himself. Under the most difficult conditions and in the face of impossibilities, he has always fought for the Kurdish people, the people of Turkey, the peoples of the Middle East and humanity. And today, everyone can see the level he has reached.

Now no one can conduct politics in the Middle East without Rêber Apos, without the Kurds. Everyone has become dependent on the Kurds. This is the result of the struggle waged by Rêber Apo. That is not something that we simply say; that is something that is reflected everywhere. Maybe there are some sworn enemies of Rêber Apo. From the very beginning, they have always been hostile to Rêber Apo and the struggle he has developed. There is nothing to take them seriously. From the very beginning, psychological and special warfare against this movement has been waged at a very high level and in many dimensions. They wanted to confuse everyone. They wanted to develop disbelief and indecision. Although the special and psychological warfare has been waged at a very high level, our people have grasped this. They have seen clearly why there is so much hostility against Rêber Apo, his struggle, and the solutions he has developed. Because Rêber Apo has demonstrated this with his struggle, his life, and the values he has created. That is why he has gained everyone’s trust. Maybe the forces waging the special war, these forces that are enemies of Rêber Apo, want to shake the belief in Rêber Apo. They are making a great effort for this. Perhaps they will even intensify to do so in the future as well. But just as these efforts have not yielded results so far, it is clear that they will not yield results in the future either. Therefore, my call is for them to better understand this call for peace and democratic society developed by Rêber Apo. Rêber Apo has explained this very extensively in his prison writings. The text of the call is a summary of these. This is the way it can and should be read.

Rêber Apo wants to utilize this historic opportunity for the Kurdish people, the Turkish people, and humanity. He wants to expand the struggle and lead it to success. These efforts of Rêber Apo must be supported. Everyone must unite around Rêber Apo as they did in the past, share the duty and responsibility he has assumed, and realize this through struggle. Therefore, everyone should set the physical freedom of Rêber Apo as a goal and wage a great struggle to realize it. It is necessary to demolish the Imrali system and demand that the Turkish parliament fulfill its duties and responsibilities. If it raises its struggle on this basis, Rêber Apo’s hand will be strengthened.

Rêber Apo will fulfill his duties and responsibilities for the Kurdish people, the peoples of the Middle East, and humanity. Only those who have no conscience, only those who have no aim for freedom and democracy, and only those who have no aim to serve the people can say these things. The PKK has brought great values to the people. It set an end to the politics of denial and extermination of the Kurdish people and opened up the path and possibilities of peace and solution. It realized a great change in the mentality, personality, and life of the Kurdish people. It has transformed the Kurdish people into a people who live and struggle for themselves and who are striving for freedom and democracy. It has raised the reputation of the Kurdish people in the world. Today, everyone takes the Kurds as an example for themselves. Again, Rêber Apo and the freedom movement have brought about a great change, transformation, and restructuring in Kurdistan. It has developed the democratic revolution in Kurdistan and has brought about national unity and, on this basis, the development of a democratic nation. It created the ground for the realization of the national conference and congress. It restored the shattered Kurdish mentality, personality, and life and ensured its integrity. It has brought all the values that had been trampled on and brought great value to them. Most importantly, the PKK brought the line of women’s liberation to the Kurdish freedom movement and the struggle for freedom and democracy in the world. It is as Rêber Apo has made it clear that those who aim for freedom and democracy can only realize their goals based on the freedom of women.

Some people wonder, where the PKK and Rêber Apo draw their strength from. Rêber Apo got his strength from his philosophy, ideology, paradigm, his people, the struggle he waged and the values he created. No one has ever helped the Kurds, Rêber Apo and the freedom struggle, as some people propagandize. On the contrary, they always tried to hold him back, always tried to strangle him. But Rêber Apo, the martyrs and our people broke through all these and were able to bring about this situation. No one can stain this reality.

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