The mountains of Kurdistan, where a fierce war has been raging for years, witnessed a historic day today. At a time when dialogue with Abdullah Öcalan for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question continued, the Turkish state launched a full-scale war on July 24, 2015. Qandil was the first target of the bombing by warplanes that took off from Amed. In response to these attacks, which spread throughout Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas have put up an epic resistance for 10 years.
The freedom fighters who headed for different areas in Northern Kurdistan in response to this war aimed at Kurdish genocide have now traveled hundreds of kilometers to reach Binarê Qandil in order to ensure the success of the Peace and Democratic Society process initiated by Öcalan. The Leadership of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement took this historic step amid continued Turkish reconnaissance activities in the skies over Qandil.
The press conference, which drew widespread attention, was attended by press members from the BBC, Reuters, AFP, Al Hadas, Al Arabia, the media in South Kurdistan, and the Free Press. At the event, where the guerrillas took strict security measures, cell phones were not permitted on the premises, and signal jammers were used.
Journalists arrived at the venue for the press conference early in the morning and took their places. Going down from the foothills of Mount Qandil to Binarê Qandil, they arrived at the venue led by their commanders. At 9:00 a.m., KCK Executive Council member Sabri Ok, HPG Military Command Council member and Garzan Province Commander Devrîm Palu, and YJA Star Serhat Province Command member Vejin Dersîm led the guerrillas to the meeting area, where they faced the cameras.
During the press conference, an important message was delivered regarding the historic step taken with the approval of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, and a call was made to both the state and the people. The Kurdistan Freedom Movement Leadership announced that the second phase had begun and that all forces in Northern Kurdistan had withdrawn in response to provocations. It reiterated that significant steps had been taken so far within the framework of the process initiated by Öcalan. The statement emphasized that Öcalan was the main actor in the process and stressed the need to grant him conditions to work and live freely as soon as possible. The Freedom Movement Leadership emphasized that the state and the government must respond to these historic steps and that laws for democratic integration and freedom must be implemented immediately. Following the press conference, where the declaration was read out in Turkish and Kurdish, journalists’ questions were answered. After the meeting, the guerrilla group returned to their areas. Sabri Ok, who led the guerrilla group, was given a military send-off by the guerrillas.
A historic step was taken at the foot of Mount Qandil for transition to the second phase of the Peace and Democratic Society process. Now all eyes are on how the Turkish state will respond to this historic step taken by the Kurdish Freedom Movement… Expectations include the physical freedom of Öcalan, freedom and democratic integration laws to allow the guerrillas to participate in democratic politics, and a special and unique transition law for the PKK to this end.