Cemil Bayık, co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), strongly reaffirmed the Kurdish people’s determination to continue their struggle for democracy and freedom in a recent interview with Stêrk TV. Bayık addressed the ongoing challenges posed by the Turkish government’s policies against the Kurdish movement.
“The Turkish state cannot achieve results with its policies of denial and annihilation. The Kurdish people will persist in their struggle for democracy and freedom,” said Bayık. He highlighted the Turkish government’s relentless policy of isolating Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader Abdullah Öcalan, despite the resistance efforts against this approach.
Addressing the upcoming elections in Turkey on 31 March, Bayık acknowledged the democratic process employed by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in its primary elections. “Everyone should support the candidates chosen through this democratic method,” he stated, underscoring the significance of Kurdish participation in the electoral process.
Bayık also spoke about the impact of recent guerrilla activities in the region, noting their influence on the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) government. “The Turkish state and AKP-MHP regime have been shaken by the strong actions of the guerrillas. Their propaganda has been exposed as false both in Turkey and internationally,” he explained.
Moreover, Bayık called on the Kurdish people to be vigilant against the Turkish government’s attempts to manipulate electoral outcomes in the Kurdish populated areas. He emphasised the importance of unity and resistance against the Turkish government’s aggressive policies in North and East Syria and other Kurdish-majority regions.
Concluding his remarks, Bayık urged the international community to recognise and support the Kurdish struggle. “The Turkish state’s policies pose a significant threat to regional stability and peace. The Kurdish people, along with their allies, must stand firm in their pursuit of justice and democratic rights,” Bayık concluded.
