Historic televised statement expected by Leader Abdullah Ocalan

The Firat News Agency (ANF) has reported that a video statement from Leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to be released in the coming hours.

According to the agency, Leader Abdullah Ocalan will deliver a new historic call, and his message will soon be broadcast through the agency and various satellite TV channels.

Earlier this year, on February 27, Leader Abdullah Ocalan issued a call for peace and a democratic society, stating:

"The call is for peace and a democratic society. The second century of the Republic cannot enjoy unity and lasting continuity unless it is crowned with democracy. Without democracy, there is no way to seek or implement sustainable systems, it is simply impossible. Democratic consensus is the fundamental method. In this process, I call for disarmament and assume historical responsibility for this call."

Following a meeting with Leader Abdullah Ocalan on Imrali Island this morning, a delegation from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) held a press conference in Istanbul to publicly announce the leader’s message.

The message was read by Ahmet Türk in Kurdish and by Pervin Buldan in Turkish. The message, containing the historic call, reads as follows:

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was founded in the 20th century, the most violent century in history. It emerged in a context shaped by two world wars, the rise of “real socialism,” and the Cold War era. Within this environment, the Kurdish reality was denied, and freedoms, especially freedom of thought, were suppressed.

The framework of “real socialism” of that century influenced the PKK in terms of theory, program, strategy, and tactics. By the 1990s, due to internal factors such as the collapse of real socialism, the decline of identity denial in the country, and the development of freedom of thought, the PKK began to lose its relevance and became increasingly repetitive. Like many other movements, it reached the end of its lifespan, there is now a need for its dissolution.

The relationship between Kurds and Turks goes back over a thousand years. Throughout history, Turks and Kurds have voluntarily remained in alliance to preserve their existence and resist dominant powers.

For the past 200 years, capitalist modernity has aimed to dismantle this alliance. The forces that have suffered from this process, aligned along class-based foundations, have worked to serve this goal. The pace of this disruption accelerated through the unilateral narratives promoted by the Republic. The main task today is to reorganize the severed historical relationship in a spirit of unity and fraternity, without neglecting our diverse beliefs.

A democratic society is a historical necessity. The PKK has been the longest-standing, most extensive, and most intense movement of uprising in the history of the Republic. Because the path to democratic politics was blocked, the PKK grew stronger and garnered support.

However, various forms of nation-states, federal unions, autonomous administrations, and cultural solutions, all as outcomes of extreme nationalism, are not suitable responses to the sociology of historical society.

Recognition of identities, freedom of thought, democratic organization, and socioeconomic-political reconstruction for all groups are only possible within a democratic society and political space.

The second century of the Republic can only be marked by unity and lasting continuity if it is crowned with democracy. There is no other way to seek and implement governance systems. It is impossible. Democratic consensus is the fundamental method.

A language aligned with the era of peace and democratic society must also be developed in accordance with this reality.

The call made by Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, the will shown by the President, and the positive approaches of other parties have created this process. I, too, call for disarmament in this process and take historical responsibility for this call.

Just as no modern society or political party has been eradicated by force, you, too, must voluntarily convene your congress and make decisions: "All groups must lay down their arms, and the PKK must dissolve itself. I send my regards to all who believe in coexistence and who heed my call."

February 25, 2025

Abdullah Ocalan

A-H 

ANHA