Tekoşîn Ozan said that the ceremony expressed their determination to contribute to Turkey’s democratization, while Behzat Çarçel said that democratization is possible not only through the silencing of weapons but also through constitutional change.
In response to the historic video call made by Abdullah Öcalan on July 9, a group of 30 guerrilla fighters, including KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-Chair Besê Hozat, burned their weapons in a ceremony held in Şikefta Casenê (Jasana Cave) in Surdash village, in Dukan district of Sulaymaniyah on July 11.
Behzat Çarçel (Nedim Seven) and Tekoşîn Ozan (Esmen Ayaz), members of the Peace and Democratic Society Group, which organized the ceremony as a declaration of goodwill and commitment to a democratic solution, spoke to ANF.
‘Öcalan’s call addressed all social dynamics in Turkey and Kurdistan’
Behzat Çarçel pointed out that Abdullah Öcalan’s call on July 9 addressed not only the PKK but all social dynamics in Turkey and Kurdistan: “Leader Apo’s [Abdullah Öcalan’s] call was not limited to the change and transformation of the PKK. All social dynamics in both Turkey and Kurdistan—young people, women, laborers, workers, social structures, artistic structures, academics, and all kinds of active groups that we consider to be part of the political sphere—must play a role in this matter because there is a struggle for democracy here. The struggle for democracy is also the field of a whole social struggle. From that perspective, the calls made were included in our main call. To reiterate, our calls were for the Kurdish people to correctly understand, share, and claim the suffering they have endured for so many years, and to take a supportive stance and play a positive role in terms of all kinds of democratic change and renewal. We call on all social structures, especially women and youth, to take on the task of weaving, organizing, and building the future within a democratic society and peaceful relations.”
‘Öcalan’s physical freedom is crucial for political stability and the process’
Çarçel emphasized that securing Öcalan’s physical freedom is crucial for political stability and the process of constitutional change and integration: “Both by the nature of the matter and to avoid creating a political vacuum, it is essential to create the conditions for the physical freedom of our leader in every respect,” said Çarçel, adding that if these conditions are met, constitutional reforms and integration expectations in Turkey will develop more rapidly.
Stating that these goals can only be achieved through struggle, Çarçel emphasized that the process will not advance one-sidedly and that the Turkish state must also change. “We will push the Turkish Republic. It must change; there is no other way. This is also the case in the political conjuncture,” he noted.
Behzat Çarçel recalled that the PKK abandoned armed struggle at its 12th Congress following Öcalan’s call on February 27, 2025, and described the current process as “the peak of a new era.”
‘The guerrilla and all those loyal to him will focus on the democratic society manifesto’
Öcalan developed a democratic society manifesto that crowns this process, said Çarçel and noted that the guerrilla and all groups loyal to Öcalan’s paradigm will participate in the democratic construction process. He continued: “The guerrilla forces loyal to the leader, or any group loyal to his philosophy, ideology, and paradigm, will focus on the democratic society manifesto that will determine the next 50 or even 100 years, the future. The democratic, ideological, and sociological foundations, educational style, organizational style, form and program of this manifesto, which we refer to as the upcoming construction process, will serve as the basis for the guerrilla to reorganize and prepare itself. Of course, it will also maintain its defense system against any kind of attack. However, for a further step to be taken, legal and constitutional reforms must be implemented in Turkey.”
‘We are determined in democratic politics’
Recalling that the PKK’s struggle, carried out on the line of Rêya Şoreşê (Revolutionary Path), has lasted for 52 years and 4 months, Çarçel emphasized that, with the new strategy, they are planning for the next 50 or even 100 years. He continued, “Therefore, we are determined in democratic politics, and we are determined to organize and build a democratic society. If there are legal and constitutional regulations, all of us, as members of the Apoist tradition, will engage in politics within this democratic legal and constitutional framework, exercise our freedom of expression, build all kinds of democratic politics from local administrations to academia and parliaments. In short, we will participate in all social construction activities. This means that after 52 years of struggle, no one will be imprisoned, and the thousands of comrades currently in prison will not remain there. There have been heavy sacrifices, and countless martyrs have been lost. In this sense, laws specific to the PKK must be established. If this develops in Turkey, all guerrillas, especially those who are Turkey’s citizens, will be able to participate in democratic politics.”
‘Turkey still cannot define the problem fully’
Çarçel stated that Turkey is stuck in a “vicious cycle” within its current political debates, saying, “Turkey still cannot define it fully. They keep saying ‘a Turkey without terrorism’. Let’s call it ‘a Turkey without conflict, without violence’ or ‘Kurdistan’. Let’s express it correctly. Let’s uncover the causes of conflict and war. Let’s develop solutions to these reasons mutually, based on their origins.”
‘Special laws need to be made for PKK members’
Çarçel pointed out that those fighting within the PKK cannot be evaluated under ordinary criminal law, saying, “Special laws need to be made for PKK members or those who have fought in this struggle. This has no connection or relation to judicial detainees or other cases. Sometimes these are discussed in the form of short-term reform packages. These are not fundamental solutions. First, they must correctly define the problem.”
‘How will the Kurds be defined?’
Emphasizing the historical depth of the policies of denial against the Kurdish people, Çarçel said, “There was a century, even two centuries, of denial of the Kurds. Now their existence has been proven, and they will be rebuilt. How will they be defined within the Turkish Republic or the democratic nation of Kurdistan as they are rebuilt? How will the Kurds express themselves? What legal frameworks will they be placed under?” He noted that laws must be properly debated and the necessary constitutional and legal reforms must be implemented on this issue.
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‘We have taken a step of goodwill’
Tekoşîn Ozan, one of the guerrillas who burned their weapons during yesterday’s ceremony, shared her feelings and thoughts in the following words: “Our feelings are not independent of our struggle; they develop in connection with the development of our struggle. The situation we are in, and the steps taken are a transition to a new stage of struggle, a process of developing and enriching our methods of struggle. Therefore, it is not a matter of ending something, nor does it mean the end of the struggle. For this reason, our feelings always contain a little sadness when something changes, but there is also determination and excitement because we are embarking on a new struggle. There is enthusiasm that comes from responding to the call of our leader. The more we can do this, the more we can deepen it, the more happiness will grow. Emotions that do not contribute to the process, such as excessive nostalgia or sadness, do not reflect the situation we are in. We have taken a step of goodwill. We are not ending our struggle while destroying our weapons. We have taken a step of goodwill based on creating grounds for the development of democratic integration laws and democratization in Turkey, and on creating a positive atmosphere. It is an extremely positive step. In this sense, the new process is a step that expresses a determination to make it democratic and freedom-oriented. It is a step that expresses loyalty to the leader. It is a step that aims for the freedom of the people, women, and all communities in the region, and even the freedom of the peoples of the world, around the freedom of the leader. In this sense, enthusiasm and determination are at the forefront.
‘We are ready to take the right steps at the right time’
Tekoşîn Ozan delivered the following message: “We are ready to lay down our arms. We are ready to take the right steps at the right time and in the right place to resolve the issue. We are ready to work together for change and transformation, to rebuild Turkey on democratic foundations, and to undergo a democratic process of change led by women. This is the basis of our approach.”
Responding the interpretation of the PKK’s armed struggle by some circles as “surrender”, Ozan stated: “Defining this in different ways, as surrender, is an approach based on a deadlock. It is not a matter of the PKK laying down its arms, but the democratization of Turkey and the resolution of the Kurdish issue on the basis of freedom. It is an issue of lilberties in Turkey. It is an issue of the freedom of peoples, women, and workers. Closing our eyes to these issues, ignoring them, and taking no political, legal, or constitutional steps, while defining the problem solely in terms of the PKK disbanding itself or laying down its arms, and limiting the solution to that framework, is not a situation that the PKK tradition can accept. Nor can it be accepted by the level of political awareness and understanding of freedom that our people have reached. Nor can it be accepted or tolerated by the process Turkey is going through, the regional process, or the conjunctural situation the region is experiencing. A solution-oriented approach is necessary. This is the correct approach. Every comrade who has come here has done so voluntarily and with determination, fully participating in the initiative launched by the leader.”
‘The Kurdish question is a structural issue’
Emphasizing that the Kurdish question is a structural issue that concerns not only the Kurdish people but the entire society of Turkey, Ozan referred to the 50-year history of struggle and said that the sacrifices made have resulted in great losses for both the Kurdish people and Turkey as a whole.
“The destruction that the war has brought to the Turkish economy, the crisis in political institutions, and social fragmentation are obvious,” said Tekoşîn Ozan, remarking that the solution to the Kurdish question cannot be limited to laying down arms or security-oriented approaches. She continued, “In this sense, the solution to the Kurdish question is not merely resolving the Kurds’ issue; it is about adopting an approach aimed at addressing the problems of Turkey’s peoples, workers, and women. It is about taking steps in this direction. We define this as a general issue of democratization and liberation.
‘Reducing the solution to PKK disarmament would narrow the process’
Tekoşîn Ozan pointed out that the resolution process can only move forward on the basis of democratization and freedom, concluding her speech as follows: “Denial, annihilation, or labeling the Kurdish issue as ‘terrorism’ has not produced a solution. Fifty years of experience has shown that this approach does not work. At this point, reducing the solution to the PKK disarmament would narrow the process. The real issue is to enable social transformation through legal and constitutional steps. The litmus test for this is the approach to the Kurdish issue. Definitions of the Kurdish issue that are limited to denial, annihilation, or “terrorism” will not bring about a solution. They have not done so thus far. There is 50 years of experience. They will not do so in the future either. I am sure everyone is aware of this. There is ample evidence that the peoples of Turkey are in favour of a solution. The Kurdish people are already extremely sensitive and politicized on this issue. They are a people who are genuinely in favor of a solution and have developed a democratic mindset to a significant extent.
‘The right thing to do is to take legal and constitutional steps’
Therefore, the current situation, defined as the PKK laying down its arms or as a “terrorism” problem, would not contribute to a solution. Nor would it be correct. The right thing to do is to take legal and constitutional steps toward the improvement of the process, and to develop a language and approach of brotherhood, from the way we speak to the way we act. This requires guaranteeing the right to organize and struggle, which can strengthen society in a way that can be further developed, and which can strengthen women’s awareness of freedom, and their position in social life. All of this requires struggle. This is not an easy thing to do. Achieving such a powerful transformation requires struggle. The ceremony we are holding here today is actually a form of struggle. It is a form of struggle based on contributing to a process of change and transformation. It is a proactive approach that demonstrates a sincere desire for democratization and encourages steps to be taken in this direction. We hope it will continue like this.”
