QANDIL – People’s Defense Forces (Hêzên Parastina Gel-HPG) member Çeko Ayhan, who was among the guerrillas withdrawing from the field, emphasized that resolving the Kurdish issue requires the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and the constitutional recognition of Kurdish rights. “We want to engage in politics on a free ground,” he said.
As part of the ongoing Peace and Democratic Society Process, a new stage began on October 26. In line with the decisions taken at the PKK’s 12th Congress held between May 5 and 7, HPG and YJA-Star guerrillas have started to withdraw to the “Media Defense Zones.” Twenty-five guerrillas, including eight women, participated in the announcement held in Qandil.
Attending the ceremony with his arm bandaged, HPG fighter Çeko Ayhan shared his views on the significance of the withdrawal and the steps needed to resolve the Kurdish issue.
‘LEADER APO MUST BE FREE’
Having joined the PKK from Rojhilat in 2011 and later wounded in the Agirî region in 2020, Ayhan explained that he joined the movement because the existence of the Kurds was denied. “If Leader Apo had not called for it, I would not have withdrawn,” said Ayhan and added: “The most crucial step in this process is the freedom of Leader Apo. The existence of the Kurdish people must be recognized, and their rights must be constitutionally guaranteed.”
‘WE ARE NOT IN LOVE WITH WAR, WE WANT PEACE’
Ayhan described this withdrawal process as more “determined and ambitious” than previous ones: “Leader Apo wants to resolve the Kurdish issue through politics. We do not want war — we are not in love with war. While everyone is arming themselves, we said ‘no more bloodshed between Kurds and Turks.’ Leader Apo has long said that if a legal basis is established, the armed struggle can end, and we are acting in line with that vision.”
‘NO DEMOCRATIC POLITICS WITHOUT A LEGAL GROUND’
Ayhan stressed that participation in democratic politics requires a legal and constitutional framework: “If a legal ground is not created, any freedom guerrilla who goes there will be arrested — we will never accept that. The isolation of Leader Apo must end, and legal reforms must be enacted.”
‘SOCIETY HAS A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY’
Calling on the Kurdish people, women, and youth, Ayhan underlined the importance of social participation: “Women, youth, and all those who stand for peace and equality must take to the streets for Leader Apo’s physical freedom. The public must pressure the government to take concrete steps.”
‘WE WANT TO ENGAGE IN POLITICS ON A FREE GROUND’
“There can be no democratic politics without freedom,” said Ayhan and concluded: “The process initiated by Leader Apo is about building that free ground. We want to carry out democratic politics within such a space.”
MA / Azad Altay