“Achieving peace depends on physical freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan”

Tens of thousands of people gathered near the March 12 stadium in the city of Qamishli, to participate in the mass gathering called for by the Popular Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan, to denounce the international conspiracy that targeted Leader Abdullah Ocalan on February 15, 1999, under the slogan "We will make the black day a day of freedom for Leader Apo."

The women participating in the mass gathering wore their traditional costumes, while the children wore white jackets with the words "Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan is our freedom" written on them, and tied his pictures on their heads.

They also raised pictures of Leader Abdullah Ocalan and a banner that read "Leader Apo's thought is the gateway to peace for the Middle East and the world", while chanting "With our souls and blood we will redeem you Ocalan, there is no life without the leader, resistance is life".

Before starting their activities, the participants paused for a minute of silence in honor of the souls of the martyrs, then listened to a message from Leader Abdullah Ocalan that he had delivered 20 years ago, calling for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue.

Meanwhile, PYD Presidency member Fawza Yusuf spoke, denouncing the international conspiracy, describing it as "dirty".

Fawza Yusuf recalled the "You will not be able to block our sun" gêrîla and said: "We bow with reverence before their greatness". 

Fawza referred to the countries participating in the international conspiracy, saying: "They plotted this conspiracy to break our will and surrender, but the historic resistance shown by Leader Abdullah Ocalan, the resistance of the Gêrîla and our people, foiled all these plans".

She added: "We tell the Turkish state that the time of war is over, the policies of erasure and genocide have passed, and the stage of peace must include the freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan, people wants to send this message through this gathering".

Fawza noted that the freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan is the criterion for the victory of this stage, stressing: "If this change does not happen, and if Leader Abdullah Ocalan does not work freely among his people, this stage will not be successful

Fawza confirmed that they are awaiting the call of the historic leader, and revealed that Leader Abdullah Ocalan sent his greetings and peace to the people of North and East Syria.

In her speech, Fawza Youssef touched on the situation in Syria, and said: "The Turkish state prevents the development of any solution in Syria, and the exclusion of components from the preparatory committee is the biggest example of that," stressing "We want to build Syria with all its components without any exclusion, these marginalization policies destroyed Syria."

She explained that the preparatory committee should have represented all Syrians, and not formed one color, and noted that the centralist and Baathist thought turned Syria into an international arena of conflict, and appealed to "the free democrats, we must be one hand in order to achieve the Democratic Syrian Republic, Syria must guarantee the rights of all Syrians."

Speaking about the Baath Party that ruled Syria for at least 60 years, she said: “The Baath Party should not be resurrected again. The Baath Party adopted one authority and chose one flag and one color, but Syria embraces cultural diversity. There must be participation for all identities.”

Fawza called: "From here we issue an appeal to work on a comprehensive national founding conference that leads a map for the future of Syria, and for there to be actual participation of the autonomous-administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces that represent the will of the peoples of this region."

For his part, Sheikh Hassan Farhan Abdul Rahman, Sheikh of the Arab Tayy Tribe Council, said that Arabs and Kurds have been living here for thousands of years, and anyone who wants to differentiate between Kurds, Arabs and Christians is delusional.

Abdul Rahman stressed that Leader Abdullah Ocalan is not just a Kurdish figure, but rather a figure who represents all peoples, and said: "Today is not a black day, but a day of struggle, a day of civilization, the Kurdish people are people who deserve respect and appreciation, we have lived and will live together, and we will be one hand to cross or be on the lifeboat."

The mass gathering ended with chants and slogans such as "Long live the resistance of the leader" and "No life without the leader.”

Sh-S

ANHA