Late last year, Rêber APO had a series of meetings after four years of total isolation. His message, over and over, was “I have the power and strength to find a political and democratic solution”.
We see, with this statement, his historic call and the reactions of the world powers to it, is that Rêber Apo is intervening in the ongoing Third World War and creating a way out of the crisis. But until now the isolation on the prison island Imrali is continuing. In such a situation, Rêber Apo currently lacks the conditions to completely play his historical role. We can create these and, with the paradigm of Rêber APO, we have the knowledge and the tools to do so. The path is clear, all that is left is to walk it.
On 27 February 2025, a delegation of DEM party politicians and lawyers visited Imrali. For three and a half hours Rêber APO held a meeting with the delegation and the other three friends held in Imrali, Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş, and Ömer Hayri Konar. Rêber APO presented handwritten three pages, and said ‘I need to give this a title; “I am considering calling it Call for Peace and a Democratic Society.’ Step by step he guided the friends through the call. First he read it aloud, pausing and discussing each paragraph. The analyses included reflections on the history of Turkish-Kurdish relationships, the efforts to resolve their conflicts, and how coups sabotaged these efforts. Some of the delegation proposed they stay at Imrali to help Rêber APO and continue discussions, Rêber APO smiled and replied “You wouldn’t be able to endure this place”. During their time at Imrali the friends shared a meal together and a video of Rêber APO reading out the call was recorded. But until now the Turkish state has sabotaged attempts to share the video.
And so the delegation returned and read Rêber APO’s call to the world in Kurdish under the first photograph of Rêber APO in over a decade. It was in this way that Rêber APO declared another ceasefire, called on the PKK to lay down their arms and dissolve itself, proposed a democratic solution to make this possible and picked up the historical responsibility for this process.
With this call Rêber APO began a new phase. We are now voluntarily entering a peace process with the Turkish state to find solutions to the ancient problems between the Turkish and Kurdish people. Finding unity between Turks and Kurds, will give an example to others facing similar problems and so open the way to solve these as well. So far these problems have seemed unsolvable other than with the total annihilation of one nation or the other. The genocide in Gaza shows what the nation-states offer as a solution to such problems. To stop this war from spreading we have the chance to find a democratic solution of co-existence and prove it to be more effective than that of genocide. This is why Rêber APO analyses this opportunity, he has now opened for us, as our last chance. We are living in a time when, if we fight right, will see thousand year old conflicts resolved, and peace restored. Or, we will see 50 Gazas, and it will become a reality for us to see thousands of people dying every day. This is our historical responsibility, to intervene and ensure a future of freedom.
An essential part of this struggle is self-defense. Now as we enter a peace process we will face no less difficulties, no less attacks. It’s just these attacks will change and so our struggle will change. If the ceasefire develops our enemies will be forced to make less physical attacks on our bodies and so will turn to more attacks on our minds, our hearts. In this way special warfare will increase and develop and so, to defend ourselves, our ideology, political, cultural, and lawful struggle must too. Hopelessness, thinking the enemy is indestructible or very strong, or expecting that victory will just happen without our own personal effort all come from the enemy making us passive. Resisting these is essential to taking action. Without pressure, the Turkish state will do nothing. We see this already in the immediate reactions to Rêber APO’s call. A lot of people are accepting the statement, including those inside of the Turkish state, but are doing nothing to force Turkey to the table to make the call possible i.e. the laying down of weapons and dissolution of the PKK. Turkey will only take a step forward if forced to. If not it will extend this peace process indefinitely or immediately break it. Supportive words for Rêber APO is not enough, we must practice them with our actions for success.
Rêber APO has said that the one who is the most creative in this phase will win. Which solution, of co-existance or annihilation, will be put into practice. This places the youth, and young women specifically, at the front as these are the groups in society where dynamism, imagination, energy, and creativity are strongest. As the vanguard, we are the ones who will determine how quickly this phase progresses and if we can take this opportunity for victory. If we do not the enemy will instead take the advantage.
For those of us who want to be Rêber APO’s heval it has been several decades since Rêber APO gave us a clear answer as to how we do this. As youth and young women the biggest answer to this phase is to build up the Democratic Modernity. To organise in the paradigm that Rêber APO has proposed. But understanding how to do this will only come with work and effort. With organisation, education, and action. The people who are connected to Rêber APO, are listening to him and trusting him, who feel the historical weight of this moment and are ready to follow Rêber APO’s example and take responsibility for it are better placed to understand this call. This is only a strength if it is shared and constantly expanded with others. We must call on journalists, lawyers, human rights organisations to support his call and demand and encourage them all to put more pressure on Turkey. We as democratic organisations and individuals who want to follow this call, have clear guidance from Rêber APO as to how to organise ourselves and fight to win. This language is put into action in the lives of Rêbertî and our şehîds, who gave everything to follow his example. We must deepen ourselves by educating ourselves and each other with this call, the manifestos, the lives of our şehîds, and the thousand year long history of our shared struggle. We must see the dangers of this phase, as the Turkish state reacts positively to the call for ceasefire but has now increased it’s bombing on the guerilla in the mountains of Southern Kurdistan.
All our creative forces to organise educations, produce art, and make this knowledge real with democratic actions must unite with our aim for success and with this we will be victorious.
Revolutionary Greetings and Respect,
Internationalist Commune of Rojava
16 March 2025