Zülküf Palu said that Rıza Altun had a highly disciplined life, an extraordinary intellect, and a results-oriented style. He stated, “When it came to work and organizational matters, he was uncompromising; he would make no concessions to anyone. All the martyrs of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were like that, but Heval Rıza was somewhat different. He is one of those comrades who can never be replaced.”
His comrade Zülküf Palu spoke about Rıza Altun, one of the first companions of President Öcalan and a founding leader of the PKK, who was martyred in the Turkish state’s attack on September 25, 2019. Zülküf Palu described Rıza Altun as follows:
Altun made European work more visible
“I had known Comrade Rıza since 1999. Our first meeting was at the 7th Congress of the PKK. Even before I met him, there was already the legend of Rıza Altun; people knew a great deal about him without ever seeing him. Almost everyone knew him by reputation, but to meet and know him personally was a privilege. After the 7th Congress, his main responsibility became organizing the work in Europe. The period when our work in Europe became most visible was the period when Comrade Rıza was leading it. The PKK became more visible, more disciplined, more organized, and more results-oriented during Rıza Altun’s time.
There was no one he met without leaving an impact
Comrade Rıza was very difficult to put into words, and talking about him in this way feels somewhat strange, because I never had the feeling that we would never see him again. In our daily discussions with friends, Rıza Altun’s name always comes up somewhere. It feels as if he is still alive, as if he is with us, listening, and that one day soon we will meet him somewhere, talk with him, and hear his jokes again. For that reason, we never adopted the approach of saying, ‘he is gone, and we will never see him again.’ It is very hard for us even to say that he was martyred. There is a sense of not accepting it, because he was always by our side. Rıza Altun had extraordinary practical intelligence. In every environment he entered, he always left his mark. There were hardly any people he met without influencing them. Whether friend or foe, he inevitably left an impact on everyone.
Altun was deeply committed to the values of the organization
Comrade Rıza led a very disciplined life. He had an extraordinary commitment to the values of the organization, never allowing anyone the opportunity to compromise them. He was very sharp on this matter. Whenever there were mistakes or shortcomings, he would always, without fail, take a firm stance and prevent them. When it came to organizational issues, he was uncompromising and would concede nothing to anyone. As I said, he had an extraordinary intellect. He was a great intellectual and had developed himself immensely. At the same time, he had a remarkable ability to mobilize almost anyone in practical tasks. It was not a matter of issuing orders to make people do things; rather, with just a few minutes of conversation, he could encourage and direct them to action. Comrade Rıza possessed tremendous skill in understanding people and in engaging them in work.
Altun had a humor that never hurt anyone
Comrade Rıza also had a very well-developed sense of humor. If you ask almost anyone who knew him, whether comrades within the organization, people from civilian circles, or his family, the first thing they would say about Rıza Altun was that his humor was very strong. He had the ability to share that humor with everyone, and no one ever felt hurt by it. Even his enemies were not offended. Sometimes he would use subtle irony, and he had a deeply witty side. This quality was also present in Comrade Sofi. There are a few comrades who had such a strong sense of humor. He was very intelligent and had the talent to make jokes with everyone. Whoever it was, whether during his time in diplomatic work with top-level politicians, diplomats, or with military officials of various countries and ordinary civilians, he had the ability and strength to make jokes with them all.
When Comrade Cuma’s letter arrived…
He had an extraordinary commitment to the organization, the party, the values, and to President Öcalan. Unlike others, he did not repeat this in every sentence, but his loyalty was absolutely unshakable. He would never allow anyone to compromise this sphere; it was simply impossible. When he was leaving for Europe in 2005, there was a letter from Comrade Cuma that was to be given to Comrade Rıza. I told him, ‘Comrade Cuma sent you a letter.’ He replied, ‘I will not read the letter.’ I explained that I was only a courier, that I had simply brought it. The letter stayed on the table; he did not read it for a day. When I asked again why he would not read it, his answer was this: ‘There are a few comrades in this organization to whom I cannot say no. For example, I could never in my life say no to President Öcalan. But I also cannot say no to Comrade Cuma. If I read the letter and Comrade Cuma tells me to jump from this fourth floor, then I will have to jump. That is why I need to spread it out over some time.’ His devotion to his comrades and friends was unlike anyone else’s. Perhaps he did not show it in a demonstrative way, or constantly repeat it in slogans, but the bonds of comradeship and friendship in Comrade Rıza were very different. He never, under any circumstances, wanted harm to come to a comrade or a friend. He had the ability to do everything within his power to prevent such harm.
A time when we needed him the most
In this period, one of the comrades we needed the most, and whom this process itself most required, was Comrade Rıza. This was truly the time of Rıza Altun, but unfortunately, it did not happen. This revolution, this struggle, needed him more than ever. Only personalities like his could have steered and stabilized such a complicated period. It did not happen, but I believe that from somewhere he is watching everyone. And if he is watching, he is surely making jokes about it, asking himself how much he influenced people, how much they were affected, how much they took as an example, how much experience they gained, and how much of it they could carry out.
Altun is one of those comrades who can never be replaced
Comrade Rıza is someone who cannot be replaced. All the martyrs of the PKK are like that, but Comrade Rıza was somewhat different. He is one of those comrades who can never be replaced. And as a family, they were already all part of this struggle. They paid great prices. The whole family joined this struggle under the influence of Rıza Altun. Comrade Rıza also carried that responsibility. He always felt the weight of it. Sometimes he would share this in individual discussions or conversations. He had very big dreams for after the revolution, but most likely those dreams will now be realized by those who live on. No one will ever leave his plans or projects unfinished. What I would say to Comrade Rıza is this: rest assured, everything will find its way.”