KCK commemorates martyrs, affirms continued struggle on leader Ocalan's path

The Co-Presidency of the Executive Council of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) issued a statement regarding May, the month of martyrs.

The statement as translated by ANF included:

"By giving such immense dedication to the martyrs and valuing them with such meaning, Rêber Apo [Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan], the PKK, and the Kurdish freedom movement have achieved significant progress in the Kurdish people’s struggle for existence and freedom. Giving meaning to martyrdom has made the Kurdish freedom struggle and the Kurdish people invincible. As long as this meaning and devotion to the martyrs continue, the Kurdish people and the freedom movement will repel every kind of attack and will inevitably achieve success. The martyrs are our past, our present, and our future. Commemorating and understanding the martyrs is a matter of existence and living freely for the Kurdish people.

Rêber Apo pledged to wage a struggle facing the execution of Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan, and Hüseyin Inan. He reacted to Haki Karer’s martyrdom by founding the PKK and developing the struggle for self-defense. He has insisted on the struggle to secure a free country and a free life for all the martyrs in the history of Kurdistan up to the present day.

The fundamental factor that makes Rêber Apo a great revolutionary is his role as the spokesperson and defender of the martyrs. Rêber Apo has made clear, that he will never allow the martyrs’ aspirations to be trampled upon, and that the struggle will inevitably proceed and develop along the legacy of the martyrs. He has defined his loyalty to the martyrs as persistence in the struggle and advancing along the path of a successful struggle.

By declaring that “the PKK is the party of the martyrs,” Rêber Apo has clearly established the martyrs’ place in the struggle. Now, the PKK will continue to exist as the reality of the martyrs and the values they have created. Such is the power of the reality of martyrdom.

Undoubtedly, during the month of the martyrs, we remember Haki Karer, İbrahim Kaypakkaya, Ferhat Kurtay, Necmi Öner, Mahmut Zengin, Eşref Anyık, Halil Çavgun, Mehmet Karasungur, İbrahim Bilgin, Deniz Gezmiş, Sinan Cemgil, Şirin Elemhuli, Abdulkadir Çubukçu, Azad Siser, Çekdar Amed, Kasım Engin, Masiro Botan, Celal Başlangıç, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Sabri Tendürek, and thousands of our martyrs; we reaffirm our pledge to fulfill their aspirations.

Above all, during this month of martyrs, recognizing our shortcomings in the struggle as a cadre, a movement, and a people, and directing our efforts toward a more effective struggle will be the greatest act of loyalty to the martyrs. They stepped out of the ranks of the struggle and took the lead. Therefore, we too must wage a stronger struggle under their leadership.

The reality of martyrdom plays a decisive role in the creation of all values. The Kurdish people have created great values through their struggle for freedom. Now, a struggle must be waged to bring these values to fruition in the form of a free life. This can only be achieved through a struggle that follows the martyrs’ line and stance.

In this month, to once again grasp all these truths and to struggle on this basis is a historic responsibility.

Our martyrs developed the struggle by remaining faithful to Rêber Apo’s line. Their line, stance, and standards have been those of Rêber Apo. Thus, they have best represented the line of freedom. We must take their stance as an example and, as movement and people, walk along the line of our leader and succeed.

Rêber Apo has set forth the Peace and Democratic Society Process before us. As the truest spokesperson and defender of the martyrs, Rêber Apo’s project and line are also the call of our martyrs. When we respond to this call and make the Peace and Democratic Society Process a success, the aspirations of our martyrs will also be realized."