KCK pays tribute to Yalçın Küçük

The KCK issued a statement paying tribute to Prof. Yalçın Küçük.

The statement reads as follows: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Yalçın Küçük, a Turkish intellectual, academic, and revolutionary democrat. We extend our condolences to his family, loved ones, and the democratic forces.

Prof. Yalçın Küçük was a comrade who referred to our leader as “my brother Apo.” He always viewed the Freedom Movement with sympathy. He traveled to meet Rêber Apo [Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan] for an interview and made significant contributions to conveying the PKK’s ideas to Turkish society.

Yalçın Küçük believed that the resolution of the Kurdish issue would play a crucial role in the democratization of Turkey, and highlighted that Rêber Apo’s struggle to democratize the Republic was an act of patriotism. Rêber Apo also placed great value on Yalçın Küçük whenever he visited him. The relationship between Rêber Apo and Yalçın Küçük was sincere and based on trust. Whenever Rêber Apo and Yalçın Küçük met, they engaged in intellectual discussions. Yalçın Küçük found Rêber Apo’s assessments of Turkish history striking and valuable.

Yalçın Küçük also conducted discussions with Kurdish youth at the free university he founded and in the journal Toplumsal Kurtuluş regarding Turkey’s revolutionary democratic struggle and the resolution of the Kurdish issue. The journal Toplumsal Kurtuluş also played a role in introducing our Freedom Movement.

Yalçın Küçük, along with valuable socialists such as Mihri Belli, Hikmet Kıvılcımlı, and Vedat Türkali, served as a bridge of brotherhood between the Kurdish people and the Turkish people. Our movement will always remember Yalçın Küçük, just as we remember Mihri Belli, Hikmet Kıvılcımlı, and Vedat Türkali, and will keep his legacy alive in the struggle for democracy in Turkey and freedom in Kurdistan.

Yalçın Küçük was a highly valued intellectual and enlightened figure in Turkey. We believe that his legacy will continue to play a role in the struggle for Turkey’s democratization.

Also, we view Halk TV’s decision to blur Rêber Apo’s face in its report on Yalçın Küçük’s death as a provocation against the democratic forces. This is a grave act of disrespect toward the Kurdish people. We see this action, taken during the Peace and Democratic Society Process, as an attempt to curry favor with those who harbor hostility toward the Kurds, and we strongly protest it.”