CENTRAL NEWS
Murat Karayilan – a member of the Executive Council of the PKK and is one of the leaders of the Kurdish freedom movement – spoke to Stêrk TV on a special broadcast marking the anniversary of the establishment of the PKK. Commander Murat Karayilan analyzed Turkey’s current position in the regional and geopolitical context, and looked back on the past 42 years of struggle for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
“The Kurdish people were on their deathbed, so to speak, but they were brought back to life and made into a real force,” said Murat Karayilan, looking back on the time before the PKK and continued: “Today the Kurds are among the most dynamic and decisive forces in the Middle East. The enemy wanted to assimilate and destroy the Kurdish people. To do that, its backwardness should be cemented. However, the opposite has happened. Today Kurdistan is the center of the struggle for progress, freedom and democracy. The genocidal colonial policy towards Kurdistan has failed. As a nation we have fought for our existence and stopped annihilation and assimilation. With the struggle of the PKK, the Kurdish existence was secured and made more concrete. A theory of Kurdish society, knowledge and perspective were developed, which created a renaissance of Kurdistan and fundamentally changed Kurdish society. This is a great achievement. The time for freedom has finally come.”
The end of the Turkish regime
Murat Karayilan said the war against AKP / MHP fascism is entering an important phase: “We have made sacrifices and are continuing to make them, but the regime that has not missed any opportunity to destroy us, especially in the past six years, is set on the course of defeat. It was unsuccessful against us and the crisis in the system has deepened significantly. It is currently very weak. The crisis has worsened on an economic, military and political level. In the last few days in particular, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and those around him have started talking about reforms and human rights. You have been in government for 18 years! You have insulted and mocked Europe and its values and now you stand up and say bluntly that your place and your direction is Europe! The regime is isolated, it no longer has anyone to rely on.”
The Turkish regime is waving the white flag
So far, US President Donald Trump has been Ankara’s mainstay, Murat Karayilan said. After Trump’s defeat Erdogan must have swallowed hard. “The Turkish regime is feeling fear and panic. The regime is sending signals to Joe Biden and Europe that it would “surrender”. They will wave the white flag. Society is told that reforms are on the doorstep. This murderous policy has arrived to a dead end thanks to the resistance and struggle.”
The time has come
Looking ahead to the coming year, Murat Karayilan said: “The 43rd year of the PKK will not be like the previous years of struggle. Our people must be aware of this and organize accordingly and fight even more. The isolation imposed on Imrali must be broken. The captivity of Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] must end. With this in mind, the KCK campaign needs to be expanded and reinforced. Women, young people and all working classes in Kurdistan, Turkey and the other regions need to be even more active. If we fight on this basis, then we can defeat the regime. The time has come.”
Guerrillas are carrying the burden
Of course, the main burden and a major role falls on the guerrillas, said Murat Karayilan, adding: “We know that. The guerrillas go to great lengths to renew themselves and to be ready. So the 43rd year will not be an ordinary year. It will be an important year for the PKK. It will be a year of great struggles and important steps for the freedom of Kurdistan and Rêber Apo, as well as for the democratization of Turkey.”
