Sozdar Avesta, Member of the Presidential Council of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union), spoke to Stêrk Tv, assessing the current status of the Peace and Democratic Society Process in Turkey and showing how to interpret the recent meeting with Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan, which took place after a break of more than a month.
The first part of the in-depth interview is as follows:
After a hiatus of more than a month, again a meeting was held with Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan on August 28. In a message, Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan conveyed his view on the status of the process. He said that the process must be conducted with the precision of a surgeon wielding his knife. In this context, he also reemphasized three key terms that are necessary for a solution: Peace, Democratic Society, and Integration. How do you assess this?
Before answering your question, I would like to take the opportunity to respectfully, reverently, gratefully, and fondly commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution of Kurdistan by commemorating comrade Nûreddîn Sofî, commander of the HPG and pioneer of the Rojava Revolution, who was martyred in August and Koçero Urfa, commander of the Apollo Academies, Bahtiyar Gabar, Mordem Çewlîg, commander of the Zap area and Çiya Rizgar, a member of Komalên Ciwan who fell as a martyr due to health issues. We owe a great debt to these heroes. As the people and particularly as the women of Kurdistan, the fact that we are able to talk about freedom, democracy, equality, struggle, women’s rights, and human rights in the Middle East today, it is thanks to the sacrifice of these martyrs. Once again, I honor our martyrs with respect and reverence. We will remain loyal to their legacy and continue our struggle on their path until their goals are achieved.
Now, on behalf of myself and all my comrades, I take the opportunity of this interview to send endless greetings, longing, and love to Kurdish people’s leader, Abdullah Öcalan. Based on his Call for Peace and a Democratic Society, this year’s September 1st, the World Peace Day, was celebrated all around the globe. I once again celebrate September 1st, World Peace Day, with those who struggle for peace, freedom, democracy, and equality, and greet all those who participated in actions on September 1st.
The process initiated and still being carried out by Leader Öcalan has reached a decisive and historic stage. He has taken very important steps since December of last year. Eleven months ago, on October 24, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli called on Leader Öcalan to put an end to the armed struggle and initiate a democratic and peace process, urging him to speak in parliament and even to engage with the DEM Party group. Leader Öcalan did not ignore this call and issued a corresponding call for Peace and a Democratic Society on February 27th, 2025. Many important steps have been taken since. Based on Leader Öcalan’s call, our Movement declared a unilateral ceasefire on March 1st. It held its congress between May 5 and 7, which was publicly shared on May 12. The PKK took the decision to dissolve itself as a Movement. Then the most important step was that on July 11th, 30 comrades, including the co-chair of our Executive Council, comrade Besê Hozat, friends from the PAJK administration, and the PKK administration, carried out a ceremony symbolically burning their weapons.
These steps, developed by our Movement, were based on Leader Öcalan’s philosophical paradigm and created great hope in the region and even around the world. It increased the hope of the peoples and particularly women. It caused positive reactions, especially in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey, and recreated the hope for peace and democracy. However, after all these unilateral steps, there had been no meetings with Leader Öcalan for more than a month. Leader Öcalan is the architect of this process. He is the one who runs the process. Just to hold meetings is not sufficient. By now, his physical freedom should have been ensured. Because that is what it is about.
As the Freedom Movement, we have been struggling for Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom for many years. Right now, the process has reached a point from which only Leader Öcalan can advance it. Our Movement has clearly stated with whom the negotiations should be conducted. This is the decision of our congress. For the decisions taken at the congress to be implemented, Leader Öcalan must be physically free. But looking at the current status of the process, regarding what Leader Öcalan expressed in the last meeting, there are some dangers regarding the process. We see them too. Our comrades, on behalf of our Movement, informed the public in this regard. The rhetoric being used by the state, particularly by the AKP government, puts the process in danger. One needs to be aware of this. They are not acting responsibly. They are not acting sincerely or seriously. They are acting pragmatically according to their interests. The same was observed in the last progress.
Following the weapons burning ceremony, the Turkish President made some statements that were received positively. Also, our Movement also evaluated it as positive, but then Erdoğan began to hollow out the process for his own interests. These are things that are in plain sight. It is in view of the process as a whole that Leader Abdullah Öcalan speaks of the need for “surgical intervention.” In other words, what is needed is correct, constructive intervention. And it is only Leader Öcalan who is able to do this. Because this is Leader Öcalan’s project, his idea. Because he is leading this process. It is not enough for the doors of Imrali to be opened; he must be released from there.
As the comrades have recently expressed in other interviews, I also want to highlight the role of their media and certain individuals who serve the special war and want to turn the agenda upside down. They say things like “Apo doesn’t want to leave Imrali.” Leader Öcalan needs to be freed; he will carry out his work wherever he thinks is beneficial. But the conditions for his physical freedom need to be guaranteed. No steps have been taken in this direction so far. On the contrary, the talks were reduced already before the weapon burning ceremony. The delegation went to Imrali, but this process cannot be done only with them. There are many people Leader Öcalan wants to meet. For example, he needs to establish relations with intellectuals, constitutional experts, and those who have ideas about the solution to discuss this issue. Many people want to go to Leader Öcalan. He must be fully involved; if he is not, this process will not work. This is a reality. Bahçeli welcomed the steps taken by Leader Öcalan. He welcomed him as the leader of this Movement. He stated that Leader Öcalan’s efforts were very positive and constructive. But on the other hand, when we look at the AKP’s media serving the special war, they continue to use the rhetoric of ‘terrorism’. They still say the problem is ‘the terrorism problem’. They want to ignore the Kurdish question, they want to dismiss it.
I stress it once again: as the Freedom Movement, our non-negotiable demand is Leader Öcalan’s physical freedom. He has a crucial role in this process, and to those who hope to be able to use him as a tool, I want to say, ‘Be serious!’.
In his message on September 1st, Leader Öcalan repeated that he stands behind his historic call and that he can play a fundamental role. This gives the process a great opportunity. Leader Öcalan is the most prepared on this issue. All of this is a great opportunity for the process. Therefore, as the Freedom Movement, we emphasize that our people and our international friends must not reduce their struggle for Leader Öcalan’s physical freedom even for a single day. They should intensify their struggle. For example, this month, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will hold its annual meeting between September 15 and 19. The topic of the so-called ‘Right to Hope’ will also be on the agenda of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers at this meeting. The decisions they take will be very important. The decisions they take will have a very serious impact on the process. A positive decision needs to be taken for the process to proceed positively. The Turkish state has to implement this decision immediately. Ten years have passed since the decision was taken. Leader Öcalan is imprisoned in Imrali, and he is making a great effort in Imrali to resolve the Kurdish issue. He created the manifesto for Peace and a Democratic Society; he is the pioneer of this paradigm. That is why, as the Freedom Movement, we reject and do not accept the current approaches. Those who claim that our Movement would have been weakened, that it was about to be eliminated, and that that would have been the reason that Leader Öcalan stepped in are deceiving themselves. Our Movement has more fighting power than it did twenty years ago, and Leader Öcalan is embraced by more people than ever before. Those who take a superficial approach are deceiving themselves. And that is not a threat. It is simply about opening eyes to reality. Those who made threats until recently should correct not only their words but also their mindset. Those who say that Kurdish-Turkish brotherhood has developed much more than before, Erdoğan, speaking on August 26, the anniversary of Malazgirt, again threatened the Kurds. This is unacceptable. We fully reject and refuse to accept this rhetoric, this mentality, this approach, whatever purpose it may serve.
Leader Öcalan has advanced this process to fulfill his responsibility to the people, his responsibility to society. He took on this burden and advanced the process because he was capable of playing this role. Therefore, the way must be cleared for the process. Leader Öcalan must be able to develop the process under conditions where his physical freedom is guaranteed.
A parliamentary commission was established, but so far, this commission has held no meeting with Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. How do you assess this situation and generally the commission’s work? Then again, you mentioned the ‘Right to Hope,’ which is still not implemented. How do you assess this?
The entire public is watching this decision and the commission that has been established. If the commission had fulfilled its duties as Leader Öcalan envisioned, many obstacles in the process would have been removed by now. The commission’s purpose is to identify the obstacles in the process one by one, focus on them, remove them, and create hope, faith, and brotherhood among the peoples in society regarding the process, bringing everyone together around the process. The commission began to work incorrectly from the very beginning. Leader Öcalan is the one who proposed the commission; he is its architect. As the MHP Chairman said, Öcalan should have first come to parliament and shared his thoughts with the commission members on why this commission was established and how it should work. Those on the commission should have discussed it with him. If the commission’s goal is to resolve the Kurdish issue and remove the obstacles in its way, it should adopt an approach accordingly. If the goal of this commission is to bring the process to its ultimate goal, Leader Öcalan has to speak to the commission. It started its work on the wrong foot because it acts as if Leader Öcalan is not part of this process, as if he did not develop these ideas, as if he did not make the call on February 27, as if our Movement did not declare the unilateral ceasefire, as if the weapon-burning ceremony wasn’t conducted, as if there were nothing going on. The commission was established, and this commission is talking to everyone. It’s as if the people hadn’t seen anything until now, as if the bar associations, human rights associations, soldiers’ families, peace mothers, and civil society organizations had never lived in this country and it had just occurred to them to listen to them. First of all, on what basis are they being listened to, what is being said, and what is being asked for? Of course, listening to people is not wrong, but time is being wasted in this way, and, in fact, the people’s attention is being diverted elsewhere. They are also hollowing the process that has been initiated. Like this, this commission cannot solve the problem. Their work to date has not served what was asked of them. They call it the “National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission,” but there is no democracy, no brotherhood, and they are not putting in much effort for solidarity.
Just to name one example. I am aware that many assessments have already been made about the incident with the Peace Mothers, but I also want to say something since it is very important and not just an ordinary issue. They invited the Peace Mothers to parliament to talk to them. What have the Peace Mothers been fighting for for decades? Why did their children go to the mountains? Why did they fall as martyrs? What are those mothers’ demands? They have to ask these questions, and the mothers will respond in their mother tongue. Why did their children go to the mountains? They went to the mountains because they had no right to speak their mother tongue, because their culture was banned, because their Kurdish identity was not recognized, because their Kurdish existence was not recognized, and because they were subjected to genocide. That is why the PKK began its struggle. As if none of this existed, they tell mothers who want to speak their native language, “You cannot speak Kurdish here; you are under the roof of the parliament.” How can this parliament be a democratic parliament? How will a democratic republic be established? Because Leader Öcalan’s project is the establishment of a democratic republic. As long as the republic is not democratic, no problem in Turkey can be solved. How can silencing mothers be justified by any conscience, any morality? I condemn this mentality.
Those members of the commission who truly believe in democracy and freedom, those who truly want the Kurdish issue to be resolved, national solidarity in Turkey and the region, the development of positive and democratic integration, and the formation of brotherhood among peoples, should have taken a stand against this approach of the commission silencing the mothers.
They didn’t join the commission to act as the AKP wants them to. If the AKP had been running the process, there would have been no need to establish a commission. In fact, the AKP has no intention of running this process. This commission was established through the efforts and hard work of Leader Öcalan, but the greatest injustice to the mothers was done within the commission. They recorded it in the minutes as an “incomprehensible language.” How can brotherhood be built in Turkey this way? The commission is not carrying out its duties.
In his message, Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan talks about democratic society, peace, and integration. How do you assess this based on these approaches? How do you assess this message?
The commission must focus on these issues. What does each of these key terms mean? Without internal peace, without everyone being able to live freely in their mother tongue and with their ideas, a democratic society cannot be formed. For a democratic society to be formed, for democratic integration with the state to develop, the corresponding laws are necessary. This is nothing that cannot be achieved with mere rhetoric. The commission’s task is to draft laws. The commission’s first law should be to guarantee the physical freedom of Leader Öcalan. He is the architect of this project. Laws should be enacted on the basis of which the Kurdish issue will be resolved. But this commission has not even prepared a law so that a mother can speak her mother tongue. The people, the democratic forces, need to see this. Courageous steps must be taken, courageous language must be used, and courageous efforts must be made. A cowardly approach is wrong. They have been waging war for 40 years with this mentality, but they have achieved nothing. As Leader Öcalan says, it is our goal to put an end to this great suffering. We have participated in this process with all sincerity. But no one should think that this will go on forever. That is why I want to emphasize this: The commission must, above all, take upon its duties, not be influenced by a ruling party, and act in the interests of society and the hopes that have been created.
The former parliament speakers held a speech, saying that the Right to Hope must be implemented immediately. Of course, they say this after leaving office, not while in office, but it is still important. The commission must be bolder; since it has taken on such a burden, it must fulfill its duties. If it does so, it can sustain this process. But if they cannot, this process will not continue like this. As the Freedom Movement, we will not allow anyone to undermine this process. We know these things very well. We have experience; we have been struggling for 50 years under the leadership of Abdullah Öcalan. For example, Leader Öcalan declared a ceasefire on September 1st, 1998. What followed was that, within 40 days, they developed an international conspiracy against Leader Öcalan. If Leader Öcalan had turned to the mountains instead of Europe for the sake of peace and to prevent further suffering, who knows where the war would have led? Leader Öcalan turned his attention to Europe so that the problem could be resolved democratically and peacefully. But they developed the international conspiracy. A unilateral sacrifice is never sufficient. Turkish state officials, especially AKP officials, need to see this.
Devlet Bahçeli also needs to stand by his words. He previously said, “A bird cannot fly with one wing.” It is an important statement, but it must be realized in practice. Leader Öcalan’s conditions must be immediately rectified, his Right to Hope must be recognized, and his physical freedom must be ensured. Beyond this, there is nothing that will lead the process to success, and a conclusion will satisfy us or our people.