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The success of the process developed by Rêber Apo¹ is, of course, possible only if the Turkish state also fulfills its duties and responsibilities. Rêber Apo is the guarantee of the process; however, its outcome depends on mutual efforts. As much as Rêber Apo has assumed a historic duty and responsibility and is trying to fulfill it, of course the Turkish state must also fulfill its duties and responsibilities. Only in this way can the process develop and yield results.

This movement was started as a movement of will and continues its struggle in this way. It has never been a movement that fights on ready-made opportunities. It has never been a movement that puts the easy way forward. It has always been based on creating what it needs through struggle. It has never simply demanded the state to take steps without having struggled for it. Another assertion than this would not be true; it would be contrary to the truth of Rêber Apo and the freedom struggle he leads. Everything that Rêber Apo created, grew, and brought to this day was through his struggle. In other words, nothing can be achieved without struggle. Nobody simply offers anything on this scale without a struggle for it – especially if it is the Turkish state, which has spent everything it has to eliminate everything that belongs to the Kurds. It was the struggle led by Rêber Apo that prevented the Turkish state from succeeding with this policy. Therefore, the policy of denial and annihilation has been rendered unworkable. It was the result of a fierce struggle, and the Kurdish people are very well aware of this.

Rêber Apo once stated that “without struggle not even a leaf can move in Kurdistan”. This is the reality here in Kurdistan. The current developments were achieved by waging an extensive struggle, paying a high price, and experiencing great pain. There is probably no suitable comparison in history. Kurdistan is facing its very own, very specific situation. Everything has been trampled underfoot. It has been severed from its roots, history, values, and language – everything – and subjected to extermination. Waging the struggle for freedom and democracy in such a society, in such a country, meant the most difficult struggle in the world. Even if you are fighting a great struggle, this does not necessarily mean that you will achieve exactly the results you had in mind. This is related to the reality of Kurdistan and the reality of its enemy and the situation the people of Kurdish society have been put in. This country and its people have seen a great struggle. The values and achievements it has created must not be underestimated. What needs to be done now is to further extend, deepen, and expand these in order to achieve even greater success.

Rêber Apo has developed a constant revolution in this movement. He has always developed renewal, change, transformation, and restructuring on this basis. That is why all attacks and conspiracies against this movement did not yield results. Otherwise this movement would have ended long ago; this society would have experienced annihilation. The fact that this movement has survived and was able to develop and create great values, that it has reached a level that meets the aspirations and demands of everyone, is due to the reality linked to the change, transformation, and restructuring led by Rêber Apo. For this reason, all attacks and conspiracies have not yielded results and will not do so in the future. The conspiracies and the politics of denial and annihilation have been frustrated. The rest is to realize freedom and democratization through this. For this, the people must not only maintain their loyalty to Rêber Apo, but also share the duty and responsibility he has assumed and lead the work of a new build-up together. If this struggle is carried out in this manner, the Turkish state will have no other choice than to take steps. If it still insists on the politics of denial and annihilation, this will lead Turkey to the abyss. It will face a situation similar to the last days of the Ottoman Empire, or even more severe than that. Neither Rêber Apo, nor we, nor the Kurdish people, ever want the people of Turkey to face such an end. We state that returning to the founding philosophy of the Republic is in the interest of both peoples and nations. All our work is based on this.

As I have stated before in my speech, if the conditions for Rêber Apo’s free work are not ensured, the process that Rêber Apo strives to push forward cannot develop. This is absolutely clear. This process is for the benefit of everyone. No one will lose; everyone will win through it. A historical opportunity has been created, and it should not be wasted. The Turkish state must take a step. That is what everyone is saying right now. The step that the Turkish state must take is to create the conditions for Rêber Apo to work freely. It is to make the necessary legal changes for this. It is the liquidation of the Imrali system. This is in everyone’s interest. This is not solely the demand of the Kurdish people, but everyone in the world who is struggling for socialism, for freedom and democracy, for the environment and ecology, and for women’s freedom; they are all saying clearly that Rêber Apo must be enabled to work freely.

A great pressure is developing on this basis. If the Turkish state has gone from denial and annihilation to accepting Rêber Apo and the Kurds, this is, of course, a result of the struggle we are waging and the developments in the Middle East as a result of the internationally initiated freedom campaign. It is the combination of all of those. That is why the Turkish state was forced to go to Rêber Apo.

They wanted Rêber Apo to be forgotten. This is also what Suleyman Soylu meant when he said that in a year’s time there would be “no more talk of him and his struggle”. This was not just a discussion, but the policy of Turkey, of the government. What Soylu basically predicted was total extermination. Now we have come from that point to the point of “let him come to parliament and speak”. This is a very decisive development. Rêber Apo valued this and therefore assumed this historical responsibility.

What must be done is not to let this historical responsibility go to waste. The opportunity must not be wasted. Therefore, everyone must fulfill their duties. If they do, the Turkish state will have to take the required steps. If the struggle so far has brought upon such a result, if it made them say, “Here, let Apo come and speak in the parliament,” it means that if the struggle is increased further, more results will be achieved.

Of course there are some positive statements, and we value them, but alongside these positive statements, there is also a very negative rhetoric being used. This negative rhetoric and these negative statements sabotage the process. This must have an end. Especially those who value the steps we are taking, those who see them positively, should make an effort to change the negative rhetoric used by others so that this process can develop positively and yield results. They should stand against the sabotage attempts of some. In particular, they should mobilize the Turkish society, writers, intellectuals, and academics on this basis. This negative rhetoric and negative statements cannot be prevented by the unilateral efforts of Rêber Apo and the Kurdish people. There is still talk of “terrorism”, “terrorist organization”, “terrorist leader”, “PKK having to surrender; having to hand over its weapons” and so on. There are speeches, discourses, and attempts to poison the atmosphere. Because the process has the potential to tear the foundation of their belligerent lives out from under their feet. That is why they are developing these attacks and propaganda. The narrative that they are pushing is the following: “We fought the PKK, we defeated the PKK, the PKK must surrender.” With this, they want to cover up the weakness and deadlock they got stuck in. They don’t want the truth to be understood. They don’t want to show what kind of a deadlock Turkey is in, what kind of dangers it is facing. They are trying to cover it up. They are constantly trying to escalate nationalism, chauvinism, and fascist understanding. Their sole interest is to gain wealth and political power.

Those who are aware of the significance of the steps we are taking and also see the potential for positive effects and give meaning to them must embrace them. It is not enough to just say, “We see it positively”. They need to take their own responsibilities in practice. If they see the steps taken positively in rhetoric but do not take steps in practice, then it shows that for them it’s just a kind of little game. This is how we understand it; this is how the Kurdish people understand it. This is how everyone who wants a solution understands it. Some even reach out to us and try to warn us. I can reassure these friends; our movement is experienced. It has experienced many things. We let no one play games with us. Rêber Apo publicly made a call to the PKK, and the central committee of the PKK publicly responded to this call. They clearly expressed that they intend to fulfill Rêber Apo’s calls when Rêber Apo’s free working conditions are ensured. They pointed out that Rêber Apo must convene the congress, that he must lead and direct the congress. Only then can the congress convene, discuss, and decide on the situation of the armed struggle, the situation of the PKK. They explained that the congress cannot convene in an environment where the guns are still speaking, where daily bombardments by airplanes are conducted, where UCAVs are circulating 24/7, and where there is constant artillery fire. In such conditions the cessation of the armed struggle and the liquidation of the PKK, as stated by Rêber Apo, cannot be discussed. The HPG made a public statement in this regard and stated, “It is not possible to convene the congress under these conditions. There must be not a unilateral ceasefire, but a ceasefire implemented by both sides. The UCAVs, airplanes, tanks, and artillery must stop.” The armed forces made this call, and everyone appreciated this call. The only ones who oppose it are those who want the Kurdish question to remain on the ground of conflict.

The conditions of a mutual ceasefire must be met. Then the congress of the PKK can convene and implement decisions according to Rêber Apo’s calls. And the congress must be convened, directed, and managed by Rêber Apo himself. No one other than Rêber Apo can convene the congress and make those decisions in the congress. Because it is Rêber Apo who founded and developed this movement. None of us, the PKK leadership or the PKK cadres, could do this.

The reactions in the international arena are positive. Almost everyone has expressed that they view Rêber Apo’s call positively. We appreciate these statements, but the issue cannot only be resolved through statements. Those who make these statements must also fulfill the duties and responsibilities that fall on their shoulders in practice.

The solution of the Kurdish question, the democratization of Turkey, and the democratization of the Middle East do not only concern Rêber Apo, the Kurdish freedom movement, and Kurds; they concern everyone. Because today the Middle East is the center of the Third World War. Blood is flowing in torrents. Rêber Apo wants to set an end to this. He wants to set an end to the war and wants to develop democratization. This is in the interest of everyone. Therefore, everyone must take practical steps. They need to fulfill their responsibilities for the realization of Rêber Apo’s call. They need to pressure the Turkish state in order to take steps. If they make an effort in this direction, then their statements have a meaning. Otherwise, making statements and not doing anything in practice means not wanting these steps to be taken.

In addition, these powers, especially Europe, played a major role in the creation of the Kurdish question. It is known that with the development of the international conspiracy, they aggravated this problem they created. Rêber Apo has now developed a step of historical responsibility. He has given everyone an opportunity. The time for them has come to give self-criticism. They can correct their approach. They can offer their support to the Kurds and can withdraw their support for the denial-extermination. They can force the Turkish state to take steps. This is what we expect. Rêber Apo has now offered this opportunity to everyone. The rest is to make use of it. We hope they will make use of it in this way.

With this step, Rêber Apo wants to develop, strengthen, and succeed in his paradigm of creating a democratic society based on social ecology and women’s freedom. This is the foundation on which he strives to lead the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom and democracy to success. He wants to democratize Turkey and the Middle East and wants to realize the free and democratic aspirations of humanity. He wants to achieve these goals by deepening the struggle according to the paradigm of women’s liberation. The process we are going through is a process of struggle. In its history, this movement has always made new beginnings and developed on this basis. What Rêber Apo is doing now is a new beginning. He wants to raise the movement to a higher level. As I pointed out before, the movement does not change its philosophy, ideology, or paradigm. The change, transformation, and restructuring it has made are in its way of organization and its methods of struggle. The struggle it has developed has grown, has gone beyond the parts of Kurdistan, and has gained an international level. Rêber Apo started with a party, developed it, and brought it to this level. Now at the level the struggle has reached, a party is not a sufficient answer anymore. In this respect, the PKK has completed its life; it has played its role. For this reason, instead of the PKK, Rêber Apo wants to develop a democratic organization and struggle that encompasses all these developments. He wants to implement his paradigm on this basis. The paradigm of social ecology, women’s freedom, and democratic society he has developed is not only for Kurds; it is for all peoples and humanity. This paradigm is for everyone who strives for freedom, democracy, and socialism. He wants to develop this paradigm on democratic, political, and legal grounds and bring it to success.

As Rêber Apo has stated very clearly in his prison writings, he is starting the era of the peoples. It is the period of developing the peoples’ struggle for freedom and democracy. Because capitalist modernity has now reached its breaking point. It is experiencing chaos and cannot produce solutions. On this basis, Rêber Apo evaluates the developments in the world and takes steps accordingly. He attaches great importance to the organization of the people and the formation of the organized will of the people and takes this as a basis. Therefore, Rêber Apo takes democratic organization and democratic struggle as a basis.

Here, women and youth have great leadership, great duties, and responsibilities. They must lead the construction of this democratic society. The process that this movement wants to develop is such a process not only for Kurds but also for all the peoples of the Middle East and humanity. The tool for this is no longer a party, but the organization of the peoples, societies themselves. They themselves taking their own destiny into their own hands. Rêber Apo wants to create a system that is self-sufficient, that meets its own needs, that runs itself. All efforts are on this basis. Therefore, all Kurdish people, democrats, patriots, and socialists must get active. They need to claim their future, their freedom. They need to organize and express themselves.

At the same time, the society in Turkey must also organize itself and enter this process. It is necessary to lead the development of change, transformation, and restructuring in Turkish society. For this, socialists, democrats, women, youth, artists, writers, politicians, non-governmental organizations, and everyone have great duties and responsibilities. In particular, organizations, circles, and individuals who are engaged in the struggle for democracy and freedom in Turkey, who are engaged in the socialist struggle, need to make Turkish society comprehend the process that Rêber Apo wants to develop, break down the prejudices that have been created, and bring about a change in mentality. They need to do their part in developing Turkish and Kurdish brotherhood. If efforts are made in this direction, there is much that Turkish society can contribute to the struggle for democracy and freedom. These are not small gains if they are mobilized. It can bring about great change in Turkey. Because so many struggles have been waged. There have been important achievements, results, and values created. These have not gone in vain. Maybe now they have been repressed. Maybe fascism, social chauvinism, nationalism, and racism have caused a lot of damage. But these values are still alive. The task is to resurrect them. It is the duty of socialists, democrats, and those who want to solve the Kurdish question who can do this. If they do this, if they unite with the Kurdish front on this basis, what will emerge is the democratization of Turkey. It is the solution to all problems, including the Kurdish question. Especially the Alevi people should be aware that they are a fundamental force in this process and should fulfill their responsibilities.

Rêber Apo is not initiating a change, transformation, and restructuring out of the blue. When one examines the history of this movement and the reality of Rêber Apo, one can clearly see that Rêber Apo is constantly developing change, transformation, and restructuring in order to develop this movement and lead it to success and to realize the aspirations of the Kurdish people and humanity. What is new is that he has taken these efforts to a higher level. Otherwise, it is not new. The history of this movement, the history of Rêber Apo, is the history of developing revolution in continuous revolution. This can only develop through change, transformation, and restructuring. For this reason, this movement has experienced and sustained continuous development. Despite all attacks and conspiracies, it has reached today’s level.

If Rêber Apo had not exercised constant criticism and self-criticism under these conspiracies and attacks, if he had not constantly seen what he had done as sufficient and aimed to create something new, if he had not developed the movement on this basis, if he had not constantly seen the aspects that did not serve the purpose and eliminated them, and if he had not constantly created transformation and restructuring on this basis, this movement would never have developed and reached today’s level. What Rêber Apo is doing now is the culmination of what he did in the past. Now he wants to take the struggle to a more advanced level with a new manifesto. He is striving to fulfill the aspirations of the Kurdish people, the peoples of the Middle East, and humanity. The duty and responsibility of the militants and sympathizers of this movement is to understand Rêber Apo better, to share the burden that Rêber Apo has shouldered, to share his responsibility, and to put forth the necessary practice.

Society needs to be mobilized on this basis. Like this, the struggle, which the Kurdish people have developed with great labor, cost, and suffering, will achieve its goal. Democratization will develop in Turkey and in the Middle East; democratization will develop, which by itself will have a great impact on the world. Because the Middle East is the foundation of the world, a place where all beginnings develop. The world has been shaped through the Middle East. Every development in the Middle East affects the world, all of humanity. The Kurdish people are at the heart and center of the Middle East. It has reached a position to determine the fate of everyone. Rêber Apo is making an effort for the future of humanity, for freedom, and for a democratic system. This is a great effort in itself, a historical effort, a manifesto. Everyone must embrace this and fulfill their duties and responsibilities. My call is on this basis. In order for Rêber Apo to fulfill this, there is a global freedom campaign that has been launched. This campaign must be expanded everywhere. It must be expanded together with all international friends. Rêber Apo must be taken out of the Imrali system. That system must be destroyed. Rêber Apo’s freedom must be physically ensured, and he must be ensured to work under free conditions. This is the goal. Everyone must lock on to this goal and fulfill their duties and responsibilities accordingly.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity once again to congratulate both our people and all of humanity on the upcoming Newroz and Ramadan. And I wish everyone every success in their struggles.

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