Leader Ocalan: Struggle for freedom is art of organizing life, not increase in death

Leader Abdullah Ocalan sent a message to the fourth conference of the Anatolia Association for Supporting and Assisting the Families of Prisoners and the Missing, which was held in Istanbul with broad popular participation. The conference was attended by the spokesperson of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress, Meral Danış Beştaş; the co-chairs of the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM)– Istanbul branch, Arife Çınar and Cinar Altan; representatives of the Democratic Regions Party; representatives of the Peace Mothers; the Marmara Association for Supporting the Families of Prisoners and Detainees; and the Free Women’s Movement.

During the conference activities, slogans were raised including “The martyrs are immortal,” “Long live Leader Apo,” and “There is no life without the leader.”

Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s message was read by Mohammad Bulut.

The full text of the message is as follows:

“Our commitment to commemorating the martyrs of our struggle lies in building a democratic society within the framework of peace. I remember with utmost respect and gratitude all the martyrs of the struggle who sacrificed their lives on this land for freedom, dignity, and the equal life of peoples.

Their sacrifices endure in this people’s march toward freedom as consciousness, will, and a historical record. The conscience of our struggle and historical truths have left indelible marks on the memory of our people. Nevertheless, it must be clearly understood that the struggle for freedom at this stage is not an increase in death, but the art of organizing life. Commemorating our martyrs does not arise from new losses, but from building the democratic, equal, and dignified life for which they struggled. Every loss, for me, however much it may be a motivation for struggle, is a deep pain that I carry in my heart. I want to prevent the martyrdom of even a single young person, and I will not allow another mother to grieve for her child.

True loyalty is not opening the way to more losses; on the contrary, it is building a courageous political and social ground for peaceful struggle. The legacy they left us is not the continuation of war, but demonstrating the will for the possibility of a democratic solution. They struggled because they believed in the possibility of a future in which the people live together in freedom.

The task before us today is to crown this historic endeavor with peace and to open the door to a new phase based on democratic consensus. True respect is preventing further losses, and true remembrance is carrying the struggle to a more advanced and conscious level that better protects life. Loyalty to the martyrs means showing the courage to build a more democratic, free, and humane society, based on what they left us. With this feeling and this responsibility, I bow in respect to the memory of all the martyrs of the struggle and extend my respect and love to their families.”

A-H 

ANHA