Jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has sent a rare message to Yazidis, calling their ongoing struggle for self-determination a “Renaissance” and urging them to build a democratic society. His letter, sent from his prison cell in Turkey, highlighted the historical oppression of the Yazidis and stressed their role in shaping their future.
On 27 February, Öcalan, the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), made his ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’, a broader appeal addressing the political future of the region. On the same day, he also conveyed his letter to the Yazidi people through the İmralı delegation.
“The history of the Yazidi people is marked by massacres and exile, but they have resisted and endured,” Öcalan wrote. He condemned the attacks Yazidis have suffered, particularly the 2014 genocide in Sinjar (Şengal) perpetrated by the Islamic State (ISIS), which aimed to erase their existence. However, he noted that the Yazidi people had “organised and resisted” in response.
In his letter, Öcalan called on Yazidis to take an active role in building a democratic society that ensures their survival and autonomy. “Yazidis must organise in every space they exist to safeguard their future. No approach that denies their freedom is legitimate,” he wrote. He also stressed the importance of women’s participation in shaping Yazidi self-governance.
Framing their struggle within a broader regional context, Öcalan argued that Yazidi freedom was intertwined with the liberation of all peoples in the Middle East. He stated that their resilience should serve as an inspiration for democratic change.
“The call for peace and a democratic society is an answer to the 73 massacres Yazidis have faced. This process, above all, is the Yazidi Renaissance,” he wrote.
Read a translation of the full letter here:
The history of our Yazidi people is one marked by massacres, exiles, great suffering, and oppression. The Yazidis are among the oldest religious communities and most ancient societies of Mesopotamia. They have paid a heavy price to preserve their culture, identity, and existence. The tragedies they have endured are etched not only into the collective memory of the Yazidi people but also into the conscience of humanity.
Throughout history, they have been subjected to attacks, yet they have managed to survive by resisting against all odds. In the last century, the attacks driven by nation-state mentalities have resulted in massacres amounting to genocide. The massacre in Şengal in 2014 was a continuation of this mentality aimed at erasing the Yazidis’ existence. However, this time, our Yazidi people quickly embraced the struggle for freedom, organised themselves, and resisted. This is how they developed their historical resistance against the massacre. The participation of women in this resistance is particularly meaningful. A new phase has begun in which the Yazidis are taking control of their own future.
The future of our Yazidi people will be shaped based on a democratic society built upon their own strength and democratic will. A social organisation must be developed in which they can freely practice their faith. At the stage we have reached, building a democratic system is of vital importance for the preservation and continuation of their historical existence.
On the basis of the democratic society perspective, a future can be built in which all peoples live equally and freely. The Yazidis must be an active force in the struggle for democratisation and in the construction of a democratic society based on a free and communal life. Any approach that does not recognise or disregards the freedom of our Yazidi people is illegitimate. The Yazidi people must organise themselves in every sphere they exist in to secure their future. The struggle for a democratic, free, and equal life is a shared responsibility of all our peoples.
On this occasion, I salute the struggle of our Yazidi people. I want to express my unwavering support for their demands for freedom under all circumstances. The freedom of the Yazidis is intertwined with the freedom of the peoples of the Middle East. In this sense, the Call for Peace and Democratic Society is also a response to the 73rd Yazidi Ferman (Yazidi massacre). The process we have initiated will, above all, ensure the existence and freedom of the Yazidi people. This call is a Renaissance, and it will be, above all, the Renaissance of the Yazidi people. This process will succeed through shared emotions and struggle. Once again, I extend my deepest greetings.
Abdullah Öcalan
