The Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has issued a statement on the 42nd anniversary of the 14 July Great Death Fast Resistance, saying “Today is a day to defend and liberate Kurdistan!”.
The anniversary marks the death fast that was started by Kurdish prisoners in 1982 to protest against inhumane treatment in the notorious Diyarbakır (Amed) military prison. The first mass death fast in Turkey, considered a milestone in the country’s history, began on 14 July 1982, following the self-immolation of PKK member Mazlum Doğan of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in March and the subsequent self-immolation of four other prisoners in May. This death fast became a turning point in the Kurdish struggle against oppression after the 1980 military coup in Turkey.
According to official figures, 650,000 people were arrested and 230,000 tried in military courts after the 1980 military coup. At least 300 people died in prisons. The Diyarbakır military prison, where thousands of Kurds, including PKK leaders, were held, was one of the ten most notorious prisons in the world in the early 1980s because of its torture practices.
The statement of the Executive Committee of the PKK underlined the continuing relevance of the 14 July death fast and declared it as a day of resistance and victory. The committee honoured the creators of this historical hunger strike Mehmet Hayri Durmuş, Kemal Pir, Akif Yılmaz and Ali Çiçek, and expressed their respect, love and gratitude towards them. They also celebrated the National Honour Day with all their comrades, patriotic people and democratic friends.
The statement read: “As we enter the 43rd year of the resistance, we salute this great decision and the 42 years of struggle for honour and freedom that developed on this basis. We underline our commitment to continue our Global Freedom Offensive, targeting the physical freedom of leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan), in the spirit of the self-sacrificing resistance and victory of 14 July”.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party statement also reflected on the historical context of the 14 July 1982 Great Death Fast Resistance, which was initiated by revolutionary prisoners against fascist military regime established on 12 September 1980. They stated that the ’14 July Self-Sacrificing Resistance Line’ continues to guide their struggle for freedom and democracy, illuminating their way and giving them constant strength. The ‘Global Freedom Offensive’, which aims at achieving the physical freedom of Öcalan and the solution of the Kurdish question, is determined by the spirit of this resistance.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party condemned Turkey’s ongoing military aggression and occupation efforts in different regions, including the occupation of Afrîn, Girê Spî and Serîkaniyê in North and East Syria and the recent attacks on Şengal. They pointed out that the biggest military invasion of the alliance of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is currently directed against the Medya Defence Zones and Iraqi Kurdistan. They called for increased support from Kurdish and democratic forces worldwide and urged them to stand up against occupation and collaboration.
The statement ended with a call to action: “Today is the day of struggle to resist and win against the attacks of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) -Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)-Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) -Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the spirit of the self-sacrificing resistance line of 14 July. It is a day to prevent the fascist-genocidal occupation and betrayal, to defend and liberate Kurdistan and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kurdistan Freedom Guerrilla. Let us rise up against the occupation attacks in all areas and create Kurdish patriotic unity. Let us establish the democratic political unity of all Kurdish organisations against the despotic oppression and achieve the freedom of Kurdistan and the democratic unity of Turkey and the Middle East on the basis of the physical freedom of leader Apo”.
