The Association for Cooperation and Solidarity with Families Who Have Lost Loved Ones in Anatolia (ANKA-DER) held its 4th regular congress at a wedding hall in Okmeydanı, Istanbul. The congress was attended by a number of people including Meral Danış Beştaş, Co-Spokesperson of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK); Arife Çınar and Çınar Altan, Provincial Co-Chairs of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party); representatives of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP); Peace Mothers; the Association for Solidarity with Families of Prisoners and Convicts (MATUHAY-DER), and representatives of the Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA).
Speaking at the congress which began after a minute of silence, Meral Danış Beştaş stated that there had been a lot of suffering during the conflict, saying, “We do not want to lose our brothers and sisters anymore. We hold our heads high with our martyrs; they are all the values of this people. If we can talk about democracy and freedom today, if we can speak our language, it is thanks to them. The Kurdish people are resisting in the Middle East and around the world. Our hope is great! We are also in a critical process that began with Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s call on February 27. I am sure he is also thinking about the price that has been paid. If the struggle we are engaged in is successful, we will all be happy together. On the other hand, we cannot say that isolation has ended. Meetings on Imrali still cannot take place without the approval of the ministry, despite the fact that meetings are taking place more easily compared to the past. Today, Mr. Öcalan’s thoughts and words are guiding the Middle East. With this hope, his declaration, his thoughts, and his books are enlightening the world. Let’s listen to Mr. Öcalan. We will organize this process through democratic politics, without weapons, without bloodshed, without losing any of our people.”
Following Beştaş’s speech, Abdullah Öcalan’s message to the congress was read out, which stated the following:
“Our commitment to the memory of our martyrs is to build a democratic society in peace. I honor with respect, gratitude, and loyalty all the martyrs of the struggle who lost their lives for freedom, dignity, and the equal life of the peoples on this land. Their sacrifice lives on as a consciousness, a will, and a historical legacy in this people’s march for freedom. They are the conscience of our struggle, historical truths that have left indelible marks on the memory of our people. However, it must be clearly stated that at this stage, the struggle for freedom is the art of organizing life and not multiplying death. The memory of our martyrs finds meaning not in new losses, but in the construction of the democratic, equal, and dignified life for which they fought. Every loss is both a reason to fight, and a heavy pain carried in the heart. I want to prevent even one more young person from falling to the ground, to prevent one more mother from mourning the loss of her child.
True commitment is not to pave the way for new losses, but rather to courageously build the political and social groundwork for peaceful struggle. The legacy they have left us is not the continuation of war, but the demonstration of the will for a democratic solution. They fought because they believed in a future where peoples could live together and freely. Today, our task is to crown this historical legacy with peace and open the door to a new era based on democratic consensus. True respect is to prevent new losses. True remembrance is to take the struggle to a more advanced, more conscious, and more life-affirming level. Loyalty to the martyrs is to show the courage to build a more democratic, freer, and more humane society from where they left off. With this feeling and responsibility, I bow with respect to the memory of all our martyrs of the struggle and greet their loved ones with my endless respect and affection.”
Following the speeches, İlhami Kurt and Hülya İlbars were elected as co-chairs of ANKA-DER. The congress ended with dances.