YRK Commander Şiyar Şevger says 15 February 1999 was a dark day for the peoples of Kurdistan

YRK Commander Şiyar Şevger said that the invaders wanted to destroy the Kurdish people using the same methods they used to hit leader Abdullah Öcalan. However, both Abdullah Öcalan and the Freedom Movement got stronger through resistance.

Şiyar Şevger, Commander of Rojhilat Kurdistan Defense Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Rojhilatê Kurdistanê, YRK), spoke to ANF about the meaning of 15 February and said: “We are approaching the anniversary of the conspiracy developed by the occupying states against our Leadership. It is a black day for us, for the peoples of the Middle East. Since Öcalan created a patriotic, freedom-loving people who wanted to live on their own land and culture, they turned against him and captured him. So this is a black day for us.”

Invading forces unite against Kurds

Şiyar Şevger pointed out that the conspiracy aimed to update the practices that the Kurdish people were exposed to in history, and that the invaders acted together when the issue was the Kurdish people.

Şevger said: “Just as the invaders wanted to destroy the struggle of the people of the Middle East in history, they turned to the resistance of the Kurdish people. Before the emergence of the Apoist movement, Rêber Apo’s [Abdullah Öcalan] ideology and philosophy in the Middle East, Kurdish movements and Kurdish resistance had emerged in the four parts of Kurdistan, but the invading enemy did not accept the Kurds as a people and society. The invading Iranian state has never accepted the Kurds, nor will they. They always wanted to destroy the Kurdish people and used different methods. They wanted to prevent the emerging Kurdish struggle, they wanted to win against the Kurds. There is a similar situation in other parts of Kurdistan. When it comes to the Kurdish people, all the invaders are united. The same thing happened in Eastern Kurdistan as in the Kurdish movements in Northern Kurdistan. This mentality has not changed much in history, and it always has the same approach towards peoples who want to live with their culture and land.”

The enemy won’t win

YRK Commander Şiyar Şevger talked about what the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad meant for the Kurds and the occupiers, and said that the Freedom Movement has learned lessons from history, and could thus foil the plans of the invaders.

Commander Şevger said: “We know what the Republic of Mahabad meant to the people. Qazi Muhammad was executed. Later, many leaders of the Kurdish people were killed in this way. They do not allow the Kurdish people to enjoy their universal rights and Kurds have always been attacked. The Freedom Movement learned lessons from these events in history and created a new struggle with a new idea and philosophy. But today, once again, these invading states want to destroy the Kurdish people. They want to eliminate them, because the Freedom Movement started the struggle for the right of the Kurdish people to live as a free society. However, no matter how much the enemy wants to destroy the Freedom Movement, they will not succeed. Because the Freedom Movement belongs to the Kurdish People’s Movement and the peoples who are in favour of freedom.”

Commander Şiyar Şevger said that Rojhilat Kurdistan was one of the biggest areas of struggle during Abdullah Öcalan’s captivity, and added: “They carried out an international conspiracy and captured Rêber Apo. However, the result showed that Leader Apo and the Freedom Movement became stronger than before. We can say that the occupiers regret this situation. With Leader Apo’s resistance in Imrali, all the plans of those who invaded our country and the murderers were foiled. The Apoist movement is a movement that has learned lessons from history and has analyzed the deficiencies and weaknesses well. All the occupying powers of the Middle East and the world had a hand in the February 15 conspiracy. The aim was to eliminate the struggle of the Kurdish people in the person of Leader Apo. However, the invaders and murderers of the Kurdish people were defeated. The Kurdish people displayed unprecedented resistance. When Leader Apo was arrested, perhaps the biggest struggle took place in Eastern Kurdistan, and this was the biggest reaction to the invaders. Many prices were paid in this resistance. We commemorate the martyrs once again and bow respectfully before them.”