On the occasion of this year’s Newroz, which is celebrated by people all over the Middle East and has a special meaning for the Kurdish people, the Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Party (PAJK), the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the umbrella organisation Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) have issued statements underlining the importance of the freedom of the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan for a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question in Turkey.
The Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Party (PAJK) Coordination has issued a statement on the occasion of this year’s Kurdish New Year, Newroz, calling on women to take a leading role in democratic struggles demand Öcalan’s freedom.
PAJK highlighted the historical significance of this year’s Newroz because of Öcalan’ historic ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’. The Coordination maintained that Newroz 2025 will be a new milestone where people and women will come together to fight for peace and democracy.
They called on the people to gather in the Newroz squares all over Kurdistan this year and stressed that they are closer than ever to obtaining their goals. PAJK called the Kurdish people “the people of Newroz” and Kurdish women “the creators of Newroz culture”, which they define as the culture of “spring, resurrection, renewal and resistance”, stressing that Newroz is the symbol of Kurdish resistance against genocide and colonialism.
PAJK stated that the struggle for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question is led by women “who embody the spirit of Newroz” and that this year’s Newroz will be the culmination of the women’s struggle for Ocalan’s freedom, which was started by Kurdish women on 8 March, International Women’s Day, with the slogan “Öcalan’s freedom is women’s freedom”.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had also shared a statement for Newroz on the 15 March, calling for concrete steps and support following Abdullah Öcalan’s historic call for peace to pave the way for the democratisation of Turkey and the Middle East.
In its statement, the PKK had highlighted the need for “seriousness, sensitivity and patience” in the process, with a focus on democratic change for social transformation. The party also reminded readers of the ceasefire that they declared on 1 March, noting that the Turkish state has continued heavy military attacks despite the ceasefire.
The PKK put emphasis on the role of young people, women and international supporters of the Kurdish people to strengthen the process for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.
Additionally, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) shared a statement entitled ‘This year’s Newroz will be the Newroz of freedom and democratic society”, predicting that this year’s Newroz will be greeted with enthusiasm by all peoples, especially women and youth.
The KCK noted that Newroz is a festival celebrated for thousands of years by the peoples of ancient Mesopotamia, Iran, Anatolia, the Caucasus and the Middle East and that it has historically been a celebration of resistance and a symbol of the people’s struggle for peaceful coexistence and a free life for the different peoples of the Middle East.
The KCK congratulated everyone on Newroz “with the warmth of the fire of Newroz” and said that they wish that this year’s Newroz will “bring peace, democracy, and freedom to everyone in a free Kurdistan, a democratic Turkey, and a democratic Middle East”.
