Komalên Ciwan Coordination member Lêgerîn Artemetan, in a statement addressed to the youth of Kurdistan, pointed to the displacement policies carried out by the occupiers across the four parts of Kurdistan and said: “We must not leave our country to the rulers and their collaborators.”
Every word of President Öcalan is an instruction for us
Lêgerîn Artemetan said, ‘‘We commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution, in the persons of Rıza Altun, Emine Erciyes, Rohat Rover, and Çiya Rizgar. We bow before them and promise to carry their mission to victory.
President Öcalan initiated the Peace and Democratic Society process, which is a historic phase. As youth of the Apoist movement, we declare that we embrace the determination set forth by President Öcalan. Every word and statement of his is an instruction for us, a duty to uphold our honor and take responsibility.
President Öcalan represents the existence of the Kurdish people, of women, youth, and all the oppressed. For this reason, his physical freedom means the freedom of the Kurdish people, of women and young people. This is why we say: President Öcalan is our everything.’’
President Öcalan made a historic intervention
Lêgerîn Artemetan said, ‘‘As all the youth of Kurdistan, we must recognize this: it is thanks to President Öcalan that we have come to know ourselves and our country; it is thanks to him that we live with our culture and language. If today we speak of women’s will and the resistance of the youth, all of this is the result of President Öcalan’s ideology.
As is known, the Middle East is once again being subjected to killing and massacres in order to be partitioned again for the hegemonic interests of capitalism. The situations in Gaza and Syria clearly show that they want to impose the same fate on Kurdistan. President Öcalan foresaw this historic danger, and for this reason he made a historic intervention.
If today we are not witnessing dozens of ‘Gaza situations’ in Kurdistan, it is thanks to President Öcalan’s intervention. On this basis, we once again repeat: the process and progress initiated by President Öcalan must absolutely be concluded with his physical freedom.’’
Policies of displacement and plunder
Lêgerîn Artemetan also said, ‘‘Over the last two centuries, policies of genocide, denial, and annihilation have been imposed on Kurdistan; its nature has been recklessly burned and plundered, while all human and social values are under attack through cultural genocide. Undoubtedly, this policy is carried out in line with the occupiers’ multidimensional plans and calculations. Their aim, above all, is to seize and plunder the values of our land. Another aim is to turn Kurdistan into a hell where life is drying up. In particular, they try to legitimize these attacks through special warfare methods. Another fundamental goal of these wars and massacres is to uproot the people from their land and force them into exile. The rulers have pursued this policy for years, knowing that if they sever people from their land, they will also sever them from their very existence and use them in every sphere for their own purposes. This policy has long been implemented in Northern Kurdistan (Bakur).
Especially east of the Euphrates, in Maraş (Mereş), Malatya (Meletî), Adıyaman (Semsûr), and Dersim, the “Eastern Reform Plan” was enforced. After the 1990s, particularly in Diyarbakır (Amed), Botan, Garzan, Serhed, and Mardin (Mêrdîn), villages were burned and highlands were banned, forcing our people to abandon their lands in despair. This policy has continued without interruption to the present day. We see that in Rojava Kurdistan (Western Kurdistan), the Turkish state has displaced the people of Afrin (Efrîn), Serêkaniyê, and Girê Spî, replacing them with families of mercenaries. In Southern Kurdistan (Başur), people in the Behdinan region were forced to evacuate their villages due to the pressures of the Turkish state. In Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilat), many young people were forced to migrate to Europe because of the Iranian regime’s policy of executions.’’
Young people are targeted first
Lêgerîn Artemetan emphasized: ‘‘We must know that through these displacement policies, through the severing of people from their own lands, hundreds of communities, cultures, and languages have been eradicated.
If the displacement policy primarily targets young people, this means the elimination of their future.
The youth of Kurdistan must understand that migration to Europe does not mean a better way of life. It does not mean a better future. Such assimilation leads only to separation from one’s roots.
Because of wars that have lasted for centuries, we have been subjected to countless attacks, massacres, and great injustices. With multidimensional and covert policies, displacement has been imposed upon us. As a result of the migration that was presented to us as a path to freedom, we have lost so much. Thousands of our women, children, and young people drowned in the waters during migration or went missing along the way.
The youth across the four parts of Kurdistan must come to know well the martyrs who built the homeland inch by inch with their blood.’’
We must not leave our country to the rulers
Lêgerîn Artemetan continued, ‘‘We, patriotic youth and our selfless people, must not forget that every migration is seen by the enemy as a victory; they see it as weakening and breaking the spirit of patriotism. Wherever we are, let us not fall into the illusion that we can remain patriotic without struggle. As followers of President Öcalan, we must draw lessons from what we have lived and experienced.
On the one hand, there is a great struggle being waged for the free life of women, children and young people; on the other hand, there is migration. To achieve success in this struggle, we must live the Apoist philosophy, join the life of freedom, and not leave our country to the rulers and their collaborators.
Therefore, patriotism above all means not abandoning the country. By going abroad we cannot fulfil our duty of patriotism. For 52 years there has been President Öcalan’s march to build a historic consciousness and will for success. President Öcalan carries out this struggle so that we may live freely in our country, speak our language and preserve our culture. So many martyrs have been given for these causes.’’
Let us live in a free country with a free President
Lêgerîn Artemetan concluded her words as follows: ‘‘Even by protecting graves one can show devotion and love for the country. The attacks on graves are for this reason. Why are the graves of Sheikh Said, Seyîd Riza and the martyr Egîd not there? Why are we not allowed to bring our graves from abroad back to Kurdistan? It is because of this reality.
We also need to put forward our stance in a radical way. All this resistance and struggle has been waged so that we do not lose our existence. As Apoist youth, we must bring to consciousness President Öcalan’s words: “Rather than set my course for Europe, I will remain in Imrali.” With this assessment, President Öcalan points to a reality. Then we must see and recognize this reality. To migrate from one’s own land and turn toward another country is not liberation.
As the Apoist youth movement, we call on all the youth of Kurdistan: listen to President Öcalan’s call. This is a call to return to your own land, your country, your culture, your language. Come, as honorable youth, let us live on our liberated lands and together with a free President. We say that living even one day on free land is better than living a hundred years in slavery.
That is why we say: Bijî Serok Apo (Long live President Apo).’’