PYD celebrates PKK’s foundation, calls for its removal from the ‘terror list’

The Democratic Union Party (PYD) released a written statement to mark the PKK’s foundation anniversary on November 27. “It is a revolution that changed the course of history and opposed oppression, crackdown and injustice. The PKK was founded to defy the oppression and injustice against the Kurdish people,” the statement published on Friday said.

“Consequently, people who have free thought, will and Kurdish personality and are loyal to national and human values, have emerged. The group took a step to establish a political party by holding their first conference in 1978. The morality and resolve of the PKK cadres, their attachment to the courage and self-sacrifice of Kurdish society, and their rejection of the oppressive forces have been etched on the hearts and minds of all Kurds,” the statement continued.

The freedom and democratic rights of the people have been suppressed, especially by the Turkish state. In order to prevent the spread of the party ideology, its morality and spirit of resistance among the Kurdish people and other peoples, the Turkish state resorted to all kinds of pressure, violence and defamation, and hired spies among the Kurds as in the past. Over time, the Turkish state slandered the party worldwide and played a major role in preventing it from developing relations with institutions and organizations and putting it onto the “terror list”. Together with the other hegemonic powers, Turkey carried out an international conspiracy to undermine Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom struggle and the Kurdistan Freedom Movement’s growing popularity.

Despite hostilities, the PKK developed the ideas of Öcalan together with its values and the sacrifice of its cadres. Furthermore, it has put the “democratic nation project” into practice in accordance with the principles of “democratic confederalism” proposed by Öcalan. This paradigm is based on the brotherhood of peoples and common life rather than war. This also provides a basis against possible foreign intervention and colonial powers. With the sacrifice and determination of its members, the PKK is confronting hegemonic powers and all kinds of genocidal policies. Therefore, the group has left a mark on the hearts of all the peoples of the world. People now consider the PKK as a force for their freedom and protection from terrorism.

We celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the PKK’s foundation for all the peoples of Kurdistan and the Middle East. We believe that Öcalan’s ideas and philosophy are the source of courage and self-sacrifice. We deem this as the basis of the democratic nation project, and we are working to implement it in north-eastern Syria. We urge all democratic forces and human rights organizations to step into action to remove the PKK from the ‘terror list’. In the meantime, we call on the international community to join the campaign to secure the physical freedom of Öcalan and to remove the PKK from the ‘terror list’.”