Öcalan’s historic Newroz message calls for a new era: full text

By JINHA

Abdullah Öcalan

Abdullah Öcalan

AMED – Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), has released a historic Newroz message calling for an era of peace and democratic change to overcome the violence of the nation-state form in the Middle East.

The crowd shouted as one, “long live the leader Öcalan,” in the moments of silence before the message was read. Members of the delegation from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) read the message before the crowd of several million—MP Pervin Buldan in Kurdish, MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder in Turkish.

Sırrı Sürreyya Önder brought greetings on behalf of the leader of the PKK, seen by many as the leader of the Kurdish people.

The full text of the message is as follows:

“To all our people:

This Newroz, I greet all the people and all of our friends standing for peace, equality, freedom and democracy.

In our region and our country, the crisis brought by the neoliberal politics of imperialist capitalism and its despotic local collaborators has been extremely devastating. In the context of this crisis, our peoples and cultures, with all their ethnic and religious differences, have consumed themselves in senseless and pitiless wars. With this scene before us, neither our historical nor modern values, neither our consciences nor our political orientations can remain silent or indifferent. Rather, our religious, political and moral responsibilities require that there be an urgent intervention.

Today, the struggle we have waged for the brotherhood of peoples and for peace has reached a historic threshold. Although our forty-year struggle, with all its anguish, was not for nothing, it has reached an unsustainable stage. Our history and our people demand a democratic solution and a peace that suits the spirit of the age. On this basis, on the basis of the ten-point declaration officially announced by all of us at Dolmabahçe Palace, starting a new process is the responsibility facing us all.

The PKK has waged a nearly 40-year armed struggle against the Turkish Republic. With the reaching of an agreement on the declaration’s principles, I see it as necessary and historic to end this struggle and to hold a congress to clarify new political and social strategy and tactics appropriate to the new period. I hope that, as soon as possible, we will see a Truth and Reconciliation committee formed by Parliament members and members of the Monitoring Delegation, and that we will see this congress take place successfully. Our congress begins a new period. In this new period, we will be entering a process of living in peace and sisterhood and brotherhood, founded on a free and equal constitutional citizenship, democratic identity and a democratic society within the Turkish republic. This is how we transcend the 90-year-history of the Republic, with all its clashes. This is how we march toward a future woven based on the criteria of real peace and universal democracy. To greet such a period in your presence truly befits the real history of Newroz. And yet the phenomena that are true for our country and our people are also valid for all of this region of ours, with all its sacredness. The reality of the last 200 years of capitalist imperialism, and especially the last century, is this: to turn ethnic and religious identities acrimoniously inwards based on nation-state nationalism, to make them enemies of one another—that is, to use a divide-and-conquer strategy to pitilessly drive your existence forward until the present day!

We must know that ISIS is the latest tyranny to emerge elicited by the imperialist forces, who haven’t given up their ambitions on the Middle East. This organization, which strains the definition even of “barbarism,” has executed cruel massacres, sparing neither women nor children, against all the peoples and belief groups of the region—especially the Kurdish, Turkmen, Arab, Ezidi, Assyrian and Syriac peoples.

It is now time to close this cruel and destructive history and move on to a peace, fraternity and democracy fitting our real past. My beliefs and what I know to be true are what compel me to overcome nation-states, born of violent, all-consuming, destructive nationalism, with democratic politics and open democratic identities, in order to reach a community. I call on nation-states to realize within themselves a new form of democratic politics and democratic community and to build amongst themselves a new shared, democratic home in the Middle East.

I also call on women and youth, who form the overwhelming majority of those beating their wings for freedom in the crowd assembled today, to take an active and successful role in the struggle for freedom and equality before us in the areas of economy, social life, politics and security. Furthermore, I greet the resistance and the victory of Kobani, which has great meaning for our region and for the international community. I greet the “Soul of Eşme”* the new and historic symbol that has developed between our peoples based on this resistance.

In brief, all the things I have ascertained above are an important call to our society: for the revision, restoration and reconstruction of our history and of our present moment.

Again, I am greeting this historic Newroz before all humanity, with the wish that it be an auspicious occasion.

Long live Newroz, long live the fraternity of the people….”

7 Responses to Öcalan’s historic Newroz message calls for a new era: full text
  1. Yes to Independence!
    March 23, 2015 | 02:26

    An independent Kurdish state MUST come into being in South at least. No argument. It will save the Kurds all over and be permanent basis for US and Isreal forever. If not, expect extremist fundamentalist’s Islamics regimes takeover in the ME or 1979 Shiite uprising in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria.

    Don’t forget Halabjas, Anfals and Genocides. They can repeat. Peshmargas should sacrifice their lives for the sake of independence, not some disease d dirty Islamic terrorists.

  2. Happy Nawrooz Message
    March 23, 2015 | 02:56

    Nawrooz means defeat of Islamic Terrorism.

    Nawrooz means religious tolerance.

    Nawrooz means Zorosteranism.

  3. Kurdish Media Advisor
    March 23, 2015 | 04:28

    Possibility of a civil war, according to President Barzani. Better for president to say a ” Peaceful Partition.

    http://www.kurdistantribune.com/

    If the situation gets out of control, what would be Kurds reaction?

    Vowing to Avenge terrorists or Seeking Peaceful Solutions to end the war?

    http://ekurd.net/iraqi-kurdistan-president-barzani-vows-to-avenge-beheaded-fighters-2015-03-22

    Where are President’s Advisors?

    Kurds must unite in this critical time.

    The undermining of KRG = the demise of hope for every part, as well.

  4. Sharza
    March 26, 2015 | 18:32

    Aged Ocalan must be freed. His state of health continues to worsen. If something happens to him in custody, it will make the peace process more complicated. His physical presence will make big difference. A leader must lead among his own people. He can have a better influence to convince PKK to lay down arms and denounce violence.

    • Evîn
      April 4, 2015 | 22:37

      PKK or the Kurdish fighters are NOT violent. They are fighting for their basic human rights, but Ocalan is trying to rob them of their identity to lay down the weapons. No Kurd shall listen to him any more.

  5. Kurdish Turkish Peace Committee
    March 26, 2015 | 21:00

    4 decades wasted by both PKK and Turkish consecutive regimes on war, revenge, hostility. Invest 5 years on Peace, Democracy, Human Rights. See the results. Wasting billions on weapons? Spend half of that money on peace, education, development. You shall see the difference!

  6. Evîn
    April 4, 2015 | 22:34

    Ocalan has made a remarkable difference in Kurdish society, but Kurds must STOP listening to him at this time. He wants to be an ordinary Turk in a democratic Turkish state which means he does not want a Kurdistan and an identity of being a Kurd. Kurds who believe in peace, democracy, and keeping their Kurdish identity must continue to fight for their basic human rights and identity. If Ocalan wants to be a turk, he is free to be a turk..plain simple!

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