ANKARA - DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan said that the deepening of the Imralı isolation has made Turkey lose, and said: "Our people want a solution, and they say this is possible with Ocalan."

 

The international conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan, planned by the United States and England and implemented by NATO, has entered its 26th year. The conspiracy, which started with the plan to "destroy" Abdullah Ocalan, continued with the plan to "liquidate" him when this did not happen. This process started with Abdullah Ocalan's departure from Syria on October 9, 1998, with political and military pressure on the Damascus government. He was kidnapped and brought to Turkey after a 130-day long hunt in Europe, where he was declared "persona non grata".

 

Abdullah Ocalan, who is imprisoned in the specially designed single-person Imralı Type F High Security Prison, revealed his "extermination and liquidation" plans in all their dimensions. Abdullah Ocalan, who has been held in absolute isolation conditions for 25 years and has not been heard from for 35 months, became a source of hope for the people of the world with the Democratic Modernity thesis he developed during his captivity on Imralı Island.

 

As a matter of fact, the demand for "freedom for Abdullah Ocalan", which started with the Kurds in the first years of the PKK Leader's captivity, continues with the global campaign launched in 74 centres of the world on October 10, 2023, and with mass marches held all over the world, from Kurdistan to Europe.

 

Tuncer Bakırhan, Co-Chair of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), who led the Freedom March in Kurdistan, which started on February 1 and will continue until February 15, answered questions about the international conspiracy, which is in its 26th year, demands for freedom of Abdullah Ocalan, the opposition's attitude towards the Kurdish issue and the Imralı isolation.

 

 

One of the steps that turned the Middle East, which has become a conflict zone of global powers, into a firestorm was the international conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan. What kind of consequences did the international conspiracy, which was the beginning of the Third World War, have from today's perspective?

 

 

25 years have passed since the international conspiracy that started with Mr. Ocalan's forcibly removal from Syria on October 9, 1998, and continued with his return to Turkey on February 15, 1999. There are many things that can be said about the February 15 conspiracy, which aimed to strangle Kurdish politics and cause a terrible civil war by causing the people of Turkey to fall into conflict with each other in the 2000s, but the most important thing is this: This conspiracy did not achieve its purpose and will not achieve it. It is useful to underline this fact. Does the conspiracy process have its own logic with its before and after? If we pay attention, we see that real socialism has begun to disintegrate, the "End of History" thesis has been put into circulation, the Greater Middle East Project developed to establish hegemony in the Middle East has been voiced, and the "Clash of Civilizations" thesis, also developed by Samuel Huntington, has led to extensive discussions. On the other hand, new balances are being formed as a result of the conflict and political warming in the Gulf. Above all, it is now a known fact that Turkey is a giant laboratory for NATO and its Gladio branch in this process. Because the years when it was most integrated into NATO politics as the 'National Security State' were; It is the 80's coup and its aftermath. It is possible to read hostility towards Kurds and the February 28 process, that is, the two ends of the internal enemy coding, from such a projection.

 

What was the purpose of such contradictory states coming together in an international conspiracy plan?

 

It is clear that the international conspiracy was developed primarily to change the current status quo of the global hegemonic capitalist system in the Middle East and to ensure the success of this project. We know today from the statements and confessions that the Kurdish Freedom Movement is seen as an obstacle both in terms of potential and existence. We know that Turkey was used as a tool in the conspiracy from the words of the then Prime Minister Ecevit: "We did not understand why they gave Ocalan to us." 

Moreover, nearly 50 countries took part in the conspiracy. Why did this conspiracy take place, why did the whole world need to unite and make such a decision, how was the plan made, who played a key role in this plan, how did the powers fighting each other come together, what was the purpose? The answers to all these questions must be sought in the Kurdish perception of capitalist modernity. Today, it is possible to see how the conspiracy continues, considering the latest developments in Rojava and the increasing war pressure there, as well as the developments in the South and Europe.

 

Abdullah Ocalan stated that "The conspiracy was made not only against the Kurds, but also against the Turks." What were the consequences for Turkey?

 

After the conspiracy, we see a particularly different story. It is possible to say that the admission made by the USA after the development of protests, "We could not predict that there would be so many protests," was important. The fact that the protests have continued for 25 years is a completely different matter. If you pay attention, the arrival of the AKP took place precisely in the post-conspiracy climate. In particular, it should be seen how much the reality of a power apparatus turning into a war machine, conspiracy and the Kurdish-Turkish war that the developing isolation regime desired at that time was still being tried to be made current. Ocalan says, “The conspirators wanted to see me as a ball of fire and Turkey as a woodshed. They threw the fireball into Turkey, which they saw as a woodshed, and wanted to turn Turkey into a place of fire."

 

 

Ocalan was most aware of this reality. If you pay attention, he always followed the politics and solution program. During the conspiracy process, Ocalan said, "Nothing will ever be the same again." And nothing has been the same since that day! It continues not to happen. The most important reason for this is that the political mechanism, the art called politics, has been completely eliminated and everything that is irrational continues to be resorted to and hoped for help. Turkey is losing and will continue to lose as it deepens its isolation and pursues new conspiracies. Ocalan saw all these situations and warned them and said, 'You are falling into a trap.' What is this trap? The people of Turkey are becoming poorer, domestic and foreign policies are collapsing, a political base exists where gangs and mafias gain power, and the country is becoming dependent in every aspect. Isolation and lawlessness are the only policies left.

 

How do you describe Imralı Island, where Abdullah Ocalan has not been heard from for 35 months, the isolation system and legal system, what kind of management style is in question?

 

Imralı is not just a place related to Turkey. Therefore, it would not be a wrong definition to call Ocalan a prisoner of capitalist modernity. Because this is an operation within the framework of the needs of the order rather than the needs of Turkey. Despite all the isolation practices, today we can say that Imralı is a "solution" address, as a result of a great struggle. The will for peace and solution that emerged here continues to be dominant. Isolation is a subtle and systematic application of the statist mind. The most important feature of the isolation is that it has reached its final state with nation states in terms of practice and content, on the axis of this statist mind. Isolation is not a dull-solid form, on the contrary, it is a fluid, living state. It has the ability to renew itself. It is difficult to evaluate such a phenomenon legally. When you abolish the law, isolation arises. In fact, Imralı Island, in the person of isolation, is not content with being the black hole of law today, but also appears as the sum of all lawlessness.

 

Isolation is not concerned with life, but with interruptions in life. Isolation is a crime against humanity in every respect. It is a power apparatus that must be fought under all circumstances. It is inevitable that the isolation imposed on one will include everyone. Since it presents continuity, opposition to it must also be continuous. In short, in order to be against isolation and to defeat it, great reasons are required, great determination and a struggle of will are required.

 

You pointed out Imralı Island as the "address of the solution". This determination, which has been made by the Kurds and Kurdish politics for years, is frequently expressed by world-renowned names today. However, there is an increasingly deepening isolation...

 

 

Today we see a person being punished for his fight for peace. There are few or no examples of this in the world. An effort and demand for peace has been punished uninterruptedly for 25 years.

 

 

This is about showing the will to be a solution force. But if you ask me, the most important thing is about believing. Believe in what? In this equation, belief in peace and dialogue, belief in a free life! Beyond this, everything is a struggle for democracy and equality. Today we see a person being punished for his struggle for peace. There are few or no examples of this in the world. An effort and demand for peace has been punished uninterruptedly for 25 years. A second situation is related to reading politics specifically in the Middle East. 'My 24 hours are politics,' says Mr. Ocalan. He has the power of analysis, his predictions come true after many years. The solution power is not limited to these situations, it would be unfair to say so. This is also related to the political moral level of their actions and what they give meaning to. We are what we focus on. If you seek moral help from war, if you see it as a tool for your own interests, your character will think and exist accordingly. The same is true for the reverse peace situation. Ocalan is one of the rare political figures who believes in peace, thinks about it and can program it.

 

 

We have entered a period in which Abdullah Ocalan's freedom has become a global demand. Why do people need Abdullah Ocalan?

 

 

Today is a period when disbelief in politics is high and the belief in the collapse of the public sphere is at its highest. Strong social movements rarely emerge and make a difference or they fade away. Political pragmatism and populism have taken politics hostage. Therefore, we are going through an interesting and difficult period where right-wing ideas and fascistic fantasies are in circulation. We are faced with the reality of a world that is stuck in such an atmosphere and cannot produce. Many topics written and drawn are described in terms of 'uncertainty'. The world system that Ocalan analyses especially in his defences, the reasons he proposes around the Kurdish issue and the solution perspective are new, original and horizon-expanding in many respects. Ocalan speaks with clear ideas, not vague ones and in concrete rather than abstract frameworks. It gives an origin story, not a depression story. They flow one by one through continuity, not disconnection. He has a social power that can quickly test his ideas. This creates an interesting situation both politically and socially. For this reason, today, he feels the need to read, discuss and discover completely different cultures at the end of the world.

 

However, at this stage, the state has implemented the state of not being able to receive news on Imralı Island in a way that goes beyond isolation, and there has been no news from Abdullah Ocalan and other prisoners for 35 months. What is the purpose?

 

 

The Ministry of Justice does not come out of its armor of silence. It acts like nothing happened. It just says there is no isolation. Then we need to ask: Why are lawyers and institutions from all over the world applying for something that you say does not exist? Why don't you open the doors? I think this choice of the state is related to the new security concept. This is a concept that brackets the Kurds more than ever before, strangles their achievements everywhere and covers them with the rhetoric of destruction and denial, just like in the last hundred years. However, we have a concept that includes both external and internal support, conducts politics through negotiations, feeds on nationalism, and makes extensive use of technology and media. Is there any chance of success? No…

 

 

The global freedom campaign continues. You also started the 'Freedom March' within the scope of this campaign. You are marching city by city, district by district with your demands, what does it mean?

 

There are big marches and preparations not only in Turkey, but also in Europe as far as we can follow. The Freedom March continues. We are walking because we have a problem. In fact, the meaning of these walks is best explained by the stories, aspirations and demands encountered along the way. Our people want a solution and say that this is possible with Ocalan. The state or authorities do not understand this difference and situation. The hunger strike carried out by political prisoners in prisons for a solution to the Kurdish issue and an end to isolation is in its third month. There has been a very significant experience of hunger strikes in the last 12 years. These processes should be seen and read well. The processes of 2012 and 2018 are full of lessons. The demands of political prisoners in prisons are legitimate. These demands are also our demands, we continue to express them everywhere. We have contacts with both the public and executive boards and we share these transparently with the public. This is a great act and must be seen. Of course, we are doing whatever is necessary and whatever we can to achieve this and we will continue to do so. 

As you mentioned, there is also a two-pronged march. We have representatives, administrators and people who have been marching for days, starting from Kars and Van. They are welcomed with great enthusiasm on all roads. The purpose of this march is to explain that isolation is everywhere. For this reason, our friends are telling us how the mentality of a state that has passed through the country and been surrendered to war has harmed everyone from 7 to 70, town by town, district by district, city by city... Today, there are actions aimed at isolation in hundreds of centres around the world. People, countries, cultures do not accept this isolation. Our march for freedom has also shown that this isolation cannot succeed. An isolation that draws attention from hundreds of people is doomed to failure. Our duty is ultimately to end this.

 

This needs to be underlined. No matter what we do, no matter how hard we struggle, we cannot find this enough. In this respect, we are actually at the point of self-criticism. Perhaps we are in the 'insufficient comradeship' situation expressed decades ago. To express this with awareness, every action is valuable, every action is meaningful. Even if the word and will put forward do not reach a result for that day, it will turn into something else in the future. Actions and political-social wills are not only focused on the moment. It is wrong to see it this way. Every action has its own uniqueness, like a butterfly effect. The important thing is continuity. It means not giving up expressing the truth and facts. It is to constantly keep practices such as isolation, which is a crime against humanity, on the agenda. Because there is a situation that causes everyone, the whole society, to lose. As a party, our priority is to defend society. We tell society that it is necessary to defend it.

 

 

How do you evaluate the opposition's approach to both isolation and the Kurdish issue?

The opposition's attitude is incomplete and wrong regarding isolation. They do not see, or do not want to see, the direct connection between the isolation issue and the Kurdish issue. There is a tendency to treat the isolation as if it were only an issue for the Kurds or our party, which keeps policymaking and efforts regarding the Kurdish issue and solution on the agenda. They must accept that the current name of the Kurdish issue is isolation. For this, the opposition must be realistic and courageous. Events and facts have a content, we cannot manipulate or bend them as we wish. This is also the case. The isolation and its effects, and the place it has brought the country to, are clearly evident. If there is no talk about this, what will it be talked about?

 

You invited the state mind and the government to a solution at your party's congress in Dîlok. Is this possible in today's atmosphere where the war is deepening?

 

Mr. Ocalan's freedom is parallel to the coming of an honourable peace to these lands. Because we, our party, and our people do not see this as impossible, because we know that peace is easier than war, we have fought for peace for years and paid the price. Of course, it is not impossible to sit at the table for peace; this is a method that has been tried in recent history. As for what kind of work we are doing for this purpose, one of the reasons for our party's existence is the democratic solution and peace in the Kurdish issue. There are countless examples of these and similar problems in the world. There are solution collections and ways that can be applied adequately. Mandela's case is the closest example.

 

MA / Mehmet Aslan