PKK: “We face a year of great struggle ahead”

The Central Committee of the PKK has concluded its annual meeting. With the participation of 27 members, the practice of the year 2021 was analyzed and perspectives for the year 2022 were discussed. In its statement, the PKK Central Committee called on “all members and supporters, the patriotic population and all democratic-revolutionary circles” to get even more involved in the ‘Time for Freedom’ initiative for the release of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The statement said: “As is well known, the war of freedom waged by our party has reached a new high point in every respect in 2021. The mid-February occupation attacks on Gare and on Metîna, Zap and Avaşîn from April 23 were broken by the courageous resistance of the People’s Defense Forces – HPG and the women’s guerrillas YJA Star. All over the world, our people and our friends participated in this historic resistance process. Thus, the plan of annihilation carried out by the AKP/MHP fascism, supported by the US and the KDP, was neutralized and smashed. As a result, the AKP/MHP fascism, which could not occupy the Medya Defense Zones as planned and could not break the freedom struggle of our people and our friends in all four parts of Kurdistan from the dungeons to the exile, entered a process of disintegration and collapse.

Our assembly welcomes the 2021 resistance that has produced historic results. The mistakes and shortcomings in the resistance were analyzed and lessons were drawn from them. In this context, it was considered necessary to condemn any individualistic, anti-stratetig, narrow and conservative perspectives in action and to promote instead an intense and broad guerrilla struggle along the lines of democratic modernity within the framework of the Revolutionary people’s war strategy. A strategy based on creative fighting in the mountains, plains and cities, and aiming at all-out attacks against fascism on economic, political and military levels. In this regard, all fighting forces, especially the guerrillas, are invited to renew themselves and fight effectively.”

“The greatest battle in the struggle for freedom will be fought on Imrali”

The situation of Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali was an important item on the agenda of the assembly. It was stressed that there is a need to spread the situation of Öcalan and his philosophy further in the Middle East and around the world. It is a main task that Öcalan’s theories reach all oppressed people and especially women and youth, worldwide. The PKK Central Committee pointed to the increasing isolation on Imrali and Öcalan’s resistance to it, and declared that the biggest battle in the fight for freedom is being fought on Imrali. In this context, the Central Committee condemned positions based on the belief that the negotiations in Imrali are simply repeating themselves as in the past. It called for “correctly understanding the current phase and fighting accordingly”. At the meeting, the danger posed by the isolation imposed on Öcalan was also assessed. Isolation is spreading throughout Kurdistan and Turkey. Therefore, comprehensive resistance is necessary.

The special meaning of art and culture

The Central Committee analyzed World War III and the Kurdish freedom struggle as “80 percent ideological”. Therefore, the ideological and cultural struggle is of the utmost importance. The committee wrote: “In this context, special attention is to be paid to the assimilation and genocide efforts of AKP/MHP fascism. Our propaganda, literature and art will throw a spanner in the works. The whole of society will form along the line of democratic modernity. Raising the quantitative and qualitative level of our cultural work is of the utmost importance. The ideological struggle against individualism, which has reached scary levels in capitalist modernity, must be expanded at all levels. On the other hand, a society based on the free individual and the democratic community must be developed. This is of historical importance. On this basis, we call all patriotic Kurdish intellectuals, writers, artists and authors to organize themselves more and to further develop the cultural dimension of our freedom revolution.”

“You can’t win with a defensive stance today”

At the meeting of the Central Committee, the current political and military situation and possible developments were discussed and the resulting tasks were determined. The statement said: “The session highlighted the signs of US decline and confirmed the perspectives developed by Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] thirty years ago. It was stressed that World War III would continue and that the Middle East would continue to play a central role in this war. It was found that a defense-oriented, conservative stance and form of action cannot win under the current conditions. Instead, an active and offensive stance is necessary. Referring to the historical collapse of capitalism and its power and state system, the historical importance of developing the struggle for global democracy based on women’s freedom and social ecology was highlighted.”

“Isolating the line of betrayal”

Regarding the political and military positioning of the PKK in the struggle between the international and regional powers, the Central Committee stated: “At the conference, the relationship and the contradictions between the classic line of genocide carried out by the AKP/MHP fascism and the line of the US and the KDP, was described as multifaceted. Although there are partial contradictions between these forces, they are united when it comes to allying against the PKK’s Freedom Line. In this regard, it was pointed out that the strength of the KDP’s alliance with AKP/MHP fascism in recent years poses the greatest threat to Kurdish existence and freedom. That is why it is of historical importance to make efforts on many levels to make this alliance fail. It was noted that the revolutionary war against the AKP/MHP fascism is developing at all levels. At the same time, it is of historical importance to uncover and isolate the line of betrayal and collaboration.”

“The fight against the AKP/MHP fascism must be globalized”

The PKK Central Committee stated that the struggle to smash AKP/MHP fascism is the “biggest democratic and revolutionary struggle in the Middle East and the world”. This fight must be waged together in a united way in Kurdistan, Turkey and worldwide. The PKK wrote: “The conference called for joint action against the enemy of the Kurds, the AKP/MHP fascism. This call applies to all patriotic and revolutionary forces in Kurdistan, parties, organizations, circles and social structures and, in particular, the women’s and youth movements. In order to prevent something similar from arising again after the collapse of the AKP/MHP fascism, all left-wing, socialist, revolutionary, democratic forces, women’s and youth movements, parties, organizations, trade unions and associations are called to a common anti-fascist democratic struggle to lead the revolution and organize the democracy movement on the basis of the ‘third way’.”

Appeal to the political forces in the region

The assembly’s statement stressed the importance of tactical relations with all forces. The deepening of Rojava’s “revolution of democratic modernity” was defined “of historical importance and the basis for a solution to the problems in Syria and Iraq.” With this in mind, the Central Committee called on “all political forces in these areas, in particular the Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian governments, to work together for a solution to the Kurdish question on the basis of democratization.” The Central Committee underlined the “historical significance of the victory of the peoples of North and East Syria over ISIS and congratulated them on the consistent and successful fight to date, despite the breach of word by some forces.”

“Renewal of organization and management successfully completed”

The Central Committee welcomed the worldwide solidarity with Abdullah Öcalan and the PKK and underlined that the fight for the freedom of the Kurds and global democracy must develop much further: “On this basis, very important decisions were made at our meeting related to the planning of the works and the struggle, and accordingly successfully completed the renewal of our form of organization and leadership.”

“A year of great struggle”

The Central Committee concluded its statement with the following words: “It is very clear that with the meeting of the Central Committee of the PKK, our freedom movement and our people are even more organized and prepared for the new year of struggle we have ahead. The struggle to smash the AKP/MHP fascism, break the isolation on Imrali, liberate Kurdistan and democratize Turkey will be much more organized and effective on the road to victory. To achieve this, the enemies will be isolated and friends will be even more united. At the beginning of the 24th year of the international conspiracy, on 15 February, the struggle will take on a new phase and on 8 March and at Newroz it will reach a new peak in the struggle for freedom. In the party’s 50th year, we will make every day Newroz Day and this year the year of the strongest struggle and greatest victories.”