Dissolution of PKK and distortion of facts – Khairy Baran

Based on the historic call for peace and a democratic society made by leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) held its twelfth and final emergency congress from May 5 to 7. The decisions made at the congress were announced on the 12th of the same month. During the congress, it was decided to dissolve the PKK and end the method of armed struggle, thus bringing an end to the activities carried out under the name of the PKK for the past 47 years.

There is no doubt that the decisions made at the congress signify the beginning of a new phase and a new struggle for Kurdistan, Turkey, and the Middle East. Just as the founding of the PKK had a significant impact on all levels in the region, its dissolution will similarly have a major effect on political, military, economic, and social developments across the area. In this regard, the leader and the PKK have taken historic steps and fulfilled their historical responsibility.

However, the most important matter now is how this process will move forward from here, and even more crucial for the Kurdish people is how the Turkish state will respond and what steps it will take. Everyone is saying: “Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the PKK have done their part; now it's the state's turn.” If the Turkish state and the AKP government truly want peace and democracy in Turkey and a solution to the Kurdish issue, they must assume their responsibilities. Achieving this requires necessary steps to be taken in the political, legal, and judicial arenas.

But when one examines the speeches, positions, and statements of Turkish officials and authorities, it becomes clear that they do not align with the spirit and seriousness of this process. They treat this century-old issue, which has dragged Turkey to the brink, as a simple and easy matter. Despite their own acknowledgments of the economic, political, and social damages caused by a 41-year war, Turkey gained nothing from it—except for a handful of war profiteers who pursued wealth. On the contrary, Turkey has lost and fallen under the control of foreign powers.

It is clear that both political and media circles are working to distort and misrepresent the truth. As the saying goes, “They left the seed and chased the husk.” The 41-year war and the 52-year struggle did not happen without reason. They stem from deep-rooted causes going back centuries—even to the Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin.

Numerous treaties and agreements have been signed regarding Kurdistan over the years. All of them have been against the existence, identity, and interests of the Kurdish people. To serve their own political and economic interests, international powers laid the foundations for deep-rooted problems for the Kurdish people and the region through these treaties. Among these treaties, the two most significant in Kurdish history are the Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin and the Treaty of Lausanne. The former divided Kurdistan into two parts, while the latter divided it into four.

Now, during this historical process, many individuals—particularly media outlets aligned with the AKP—are trying to distort history. In the final statement of the PKK’s recent congress, it was said: “The PKK emerged on the stage of history as a freedom movement against the policies of Kurdish denial and annihilation, which have their origins in the Treaty of Lausanne and the 1924 Constitution.”

This sentence is clear and leaves nothing ambiguous. Yet, certain individuals and racist, bigoted, fascist, and anti-Kurdish circles twist this phrase and attempt to distort the truth with their fascist rhetoric. Leader Abdullah Ocalan abandoned the nation-state model back in 1999 and has sought to solve the Kurdish issue through democratic means. But it seems these efforts to distort the truth and prevent peace and democracy in Turkey are rooted in the mentality and policies of the AKP government.

a.k

ANHA