YPJ fighters: Democratic Nation is an alternative against the system of monopolies and nation states

YPJ fighters of different national identities speak about their life, choices and beliefs.

ANF
NEWS DESK
Sunday, 26 Nov 2023


According to Abdullah Öcalan, "The definition of a democratic nation that is not bound by rigid political boundaries, one language, culture, religion and interpretation of history, signifies plurality and communities as well as free and equal citizens existing together and in solidarity. The democratic nation allows the people to become a nation themselves, without resting on power and state, becoming a nation through much needed politicisation. It aims to prove that not only through politicisation but also, in the absence of becoming a state or acquiring power, a nation can be created with autonomous institutions in the social, diplomatic, and cultural spheres as well as in economy, law and self-defence, and thus build itself as a democratic nation."

In Rojava, a revolution is happening on the basis of a long-term struggle of the people. It started more than ten years ago, and since then the life of society has fundamentally changed. One of the aspirations of this revolution is to propose a solution to the Kurdish Question, to the problems of the Middle East, and for a democratic transformation in general. It has been achieved by the continued struggle of the people and, at its core, by the liberation struggle of women. It has been recognized worldwide by democratic movements and individuals. In those years, the society has changed a lot and it is always important to understand those transformations. One of the core issues that the Middle East faces today is how to overcome the politics of oppression, assimilation, and genocide: a solution to those problems ultimately also means building an alternative to the nation-state system. The centralization of the nation state is linked to the development of capitalism, because capitalism centralizes power in monopolies and intensifies fanatical ideas of nation-hood to an end point that inhibits diversity. In his writings, Abdullah Ocalan criticizes the positivist mentality that approaches any phenomenon in a strictly analytical way – an approach that opens the way to genocidal politics when it comes to the question of nations. At the same time, he criticizes attitudes that limit their understanding of the problem of nationhood to a purely constructed or theoretical phenomenon. Instead, he emphasizes the necessity to analyze the problem, its historical roots and its systematics. To overcome it, he proposes the paradigm of the Democratic Nation, which clarifies that, first and foremost, the aim of society is to develop morally and politically.

The struggle to achieve this transformation, subsequently, involves women’s liberation and developing an ecological way of life. It means overcoming the mentality of dividing everything into parts. Instead of the nation state, Abdullah Ocalan proposes the creation of a common life and self-administration for all ethnicities, religions and societal groups present in the region that, at the same time, offers everyone the opportunity to keep their autonomy and self-define their lives. Because women have been the strongest transformative force in the revolution and because their approach is very flexible and open-minded, they have managed to be the pioneers of overcoming national, ethnic, and religious boundaries. In North and East Syria, the paradigm of the democratic nation is developing in practice. It was our struggle as YPJ that opened the way for this change. Inside the ranks of our forces, women from all kinds of religious and ethnic backgrounds take part, educate themselves about the paradigm of a democratic nation, and organize according to it.

For many, this has meant great personal changes of attitude and has truly transformed the backward mindsets that we have all been raised with to some greater or lesser degree. Practically, this has become a reality today: a big part of the YPJ consists of Arabic women and women of Christian, Yazidi or other origins. They all organize in order to live out the truth of their own identities and to commonly struggle for freedom. We can see this in the brave personalities of young women today. They overcome the burdens of traditions and capitalist nation-states and create alternatives. We have met several of our friends in the YPJ who are going through this process. They have taken up roles in the self-defense of their common homeland, in units of heavy weapons, in operation forces, in the media, and in the organization of the revolutionary people’s war. But first and foremost, they took on the responsibility to change themselves and society. To show this, we have interviewed four of them. Every one of them represents a part of the YPJ’s lived reality and history.

Ibrahimoğlu: 'A separation from the Turkish state ideology is necessary'

Eda Ibrahimoğlu, co-spokeswoman of the HEDEP Youth Council, emphasized that the opposition cannot create a sustainable solution without a clear criticism of the system and separation from the state.

ANF
ISTANBUL
Tuesday, 28 Nov 2023

Last month, at least five university students took their own lives due to the catastrophic situation in Turkey. In the first six months of 2023 alone, tens of thousands of young people were forced to leave the country in a variety of ways due to persecution, fear for the future and poverty.

Eda Ibrahimoğlu, co-spokeswoman of the HEDEP Youth Council, talked to ANF about the situation of the youth and their resistance.

She criticized the fact that left-wing historiography also plays its part in the monism of the Turkish state. She underlined that the revolutionary young people must first overcome this attitude. "There must be a more decisive fight against chauvinism. If the colonial status of the Kurdish people is not lifted, there will be no freedom for the peoples of Turkey or democracy, that is clear. This connection between oppression and being oppressed and freedom must be made clearer. The responsibility here lies with the revolutionary youth movements."

The state is trying to homogenize everything

Ibrahimoğlu warned of the state's violent homogenization efforts, which are primarily directed against young people: "For this purpose, all the state's institutions, especially the education sector, were mobilized and the nature of young people was directly attacked. The AKP's efforts to put young people at the service of the system are now part of the special war policy. Since the founding of the Republic, the most intense form of special warfare has been waged against Kurdish young people in particular and the Kurdish people in general. Kurdish neighbourhoods are at the top of the list of drug-using neighbourhoods. With the policy of impoverishing Kurdistan, Kurdish young people are being forced to sell themselves as cheap labor in the metropolises. The attacks and rapes of young women are encouraged by a policy of impunity; laws to protect women are deliberately dismantled or simply not applied. There is an attempt to usurp the will of the Kurdish youth and destroy their identity."

The Turkish Republic does not recognize the right to life of young people

Eda Ibrahimoğlu pointed out that young people from Turkey are also affected by these attacks on Kurdish youth: "Most universities are rigid institutions monopolized by the government rather than conducting academic work. Therefore, millions of students graduating from these universities suffer from unemployment and poverty. In no other historical period has youth unemployment and poverty been so high. In summary, the Republic does not recognize the right to life of the youth unless it can homogenize them and use them for its own purposes."

Youth movements are hope

The youth council representative described the youth movements as decisive forces of democratization and said: "The main force that triggered these processes has undoubtedly always been young people. If there is still a revolutionary struggle against oppression today, it is thanks to the generation of 1968 who initiated the revolutionary struggle. Their revolutionary legacy continues to give us hope today. Although some claim that revolutionary movements declined after the 12 September coup, the revolutionary struggle today in Kurdistan, Turkey and even throughout the Middle East belies this. Revolution means uniting a society with its humanistic, moral and ethical values around one ideology. Today's society is not crushed under the hegemony of capitalism, but sees the crisis of the capitalist system. This makes a revolution possible not too far away. This revolution can be achieved today, as in 1968, through an organized struggle."

It’s a system problem

It is therefore important not just to deal with symptoms, but to focus on the system itself, said the youth activist and continued: "The problems will not be solved by a change of power, and there can be no sustainable solution without criticism of the system. History is full of examples of this. Monism is already present in the history and structure of the nation state. Left-wing historiography also has its share of this monism. The revolutionary young people must first overcome this in their own historiography. It must declare war more clearly on chauvinism. It is obvious that freedom and democracy for the peoples of Turkey will not come without eliminating the colonial status of the Kurdish people. This oppression of the peoples of Turkey, the connection with freedom, must be expressed more clearly. The responsibility here lies with the revolutionary youth movements."

Not just a problem for the Kurds

Ibrahimoğlu criticized that there remains a rift in the relationship between the Revolutionary Youth Movement of Turkey and the Kurdish Patriotic Youth Movement, despite the fact that these movements are so closely linked historically. She concluded: "From Kurdistan to Latin America, from the Middle East to the Americas, from Turkey to the Caucasus, the world's revolutionary movements are fighting against capitalist modernity and its excesses. Our struggle is also part of democratic modernity against capitalist modernity. This is the perspective and paradigm of our struggle. Today the peoples of Turkey are suffering from the dominance of capitalist modernity. The Kurdish people have also been fragmented and divided for centuries, and artificial borders have been drawn between their villages. This means that capitalist modernity is not just the problem of the Kurdish nation. The persistence of conflict and contradiction ensures the maintenance of capitalist hegemony in the region. At such a time, the revolutionary movements in Turkey and the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth should definitely unite their struggle simply because of their geographical location. Today the gap between the two currents, which have historically supported each other, is becoming very clear. This is closely linked to the increase in war, militarism and chauvinism in the region.

This situation causes the revolutionaries from Turkey to distance themselves from the Kurdish revolutionaries. This is a consequence of the special war policy that attempts to divide the revolutionary movements. It can only be overcome by continuing the fight and building stronger bonds. Both revolutionary movements are responsible for strengthening this bond. With sincere criticism and self-criticism, it is possible to form a stronger front in the future."

Bayik: The real solution to problems in Middle East lies in policy of the democratic nation

Cemil Bayik said that "the real solution to the problems in the Middle East can be found in the policy of the democratic nation."

KCK Co-Chair Cemil Bayik answered questions on the Palestinian issue in an in-depth analysis in which he spoke about where this question came from, how it is handled by the different global and regional players today and what the interests of the peoples are.

Part one can be read here and part two can be read here

ANF
BEHDINAN
Friday, 24 Nov 2023

KCK IS THE PKK MILITARY ARM

It is widely considered that Iran and Turkey are de facto, if not officially, involved in this war. What is the approach of these two countries to the Palestinian issue, what kind of calculations do they have? How does the Palestinian issue affect the relations between these two countries? Will this affect their positions and policies in Syria and Iraq? How will this war affect the Kurdish question?

Iran and Turkey are two states trying to increase their influence in the region. Although their interests are different, they are united in this goal. This pushes them into competition and power struggle with each other and makes it necessary for them to keep an eye on each other. Ultimately, of course, one tries or wants to reduce the effectiveness of the other as much as possible and, if possible, to zero and bring it under its sovereignty. This is a fundamental characteristic of states. Often they seek to balance or dominate each other through relations developed with other powers. Swallowing each other up and destroying each other is rare. Even when it does happen, it can be the result of a policy and plan spread over time. However, along with the contradiction and struggle between them, there are also relations between them. One cannot ignore the other without establishing absolute superiority over the other. There is such a dialectic between Iran and Turkey. There is both a struggle between them to become a regional power and a relationship between them. Since one cannot establish absolute supremacy over the other, they pursue a balanced policy that watches out for each other.

Iran is not a power outside the system. It is part of the system of capitalist modernity and a party to the intra-system power struggle. It is therefore an active force in the Third World War. If it is categorized, in the US-Europe-Russia-China contradictions and conflicts, it is making policy by siding with the Russia-China front. It tries to neutralize or fend off the political and economic pressures of the US by siding with this front. In addition to this, there is also a front developed by Iran in the region, which is defined as the Shiite Crescent. There are forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere that are part of this front. These forces are part of the rulers of these states. But these states are also in a state of disintegration. They are either in a state of civil war or they are in a state of disintegration and fragmentation. Because they are already in such a situation, Iran has brought them closer to itself or made those close to it influential in the state. Nevertheless, they are important powers. It is known that Iran makes politics in the region based on these forces and gains significant power from this. Iran is trying to balance the policies of the US and Israel against itself in the region through these forces. It is also getting certain results from this. However, despite this, Iran has not created an environment that has overcome the danger and made its politics accepted in the region. Just like the state of Israel, the Iranian state sees its existence in danger.

As in everything else, its approach to the Palestinian cause is within this framework. Iran is primarily concerned with preserving its existence as a state. Since it feels this concern very much, it is very careful about steps that would increase the danger. The Iranian state essentially wants to be accepted in the region with its current position and politics. It uses its relations and alliances in the region for this purpose. Its relations with Hamas are also within this framework. Since Hamas does not have a democratic essence, it needs forces like Iran and Turkey to fight against Israel, to be effective or to protect its existence. Although it has relations with other powers, it hopes to be effective mainly through the relations it develops with Turkey and Iran. This makes Hamas a part of regional interests, rivalries and power struggles. This, of course, harms the Palestinian cause, as it becomes part of regional contradictions, the democratic line of struggle regresses and moves away from a solution.

However, development can only be achieved by taking the democratic line of struggle as a basis and strengthening it. The Palestinian movement developed and strengthened after the Six Day War when it was realized that the Arab states did not have the power to find a solution. The struggle of the Palestinian people was strengthened by this. But now this independent and democratic stance has been lost. It has fallen behind even the old period. Of course, this does not mean that the Palestinian movement will not develop relations and receive support from states. The important thing is to take people-based resistance and struggle as a basis. Unless this is taken as a basis, no support received will serve the struggle. Moreover, the support of states depends on the policies they pursue. Iran, Turkey and all Arab states follow a policy based on their interests. None of these states can be strategic relations of the oppressed peoples. As can be seen, no state, including Iran, has taken any concrete steps. Iran operates the rings it has created outside according to its own policy. After Israel’s plan against Gaza became clear, it was expected by many circles that Iran would make a move by actively mobilizing Hezbollah and others and by stepping in itself, but this was not the case. This is because neither Iran nor anyone else is in a position to risk a move that would upset the balance. Undoubtedly, the problems in the Middle East are deep and have the potential to shake and change the balance. One of the factors that will lead to this is undoubtedly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Turkey’s approach to developments in the region is purely utilitarian. Since the Turkish state system is completely detached from a democratic essence, in other words, since society has no influence on the state at all, it is able to act with a pragmatism that is far above the norm. What it calls wrong today it can call right tomorrow, and what it considers an enemy it can embrace tomorrow. Undoubtedly, the Turkish state is able to conduct such a policy by utilizing its geopolitical position. If this were not the case, it would not be able to pursue such a policy. The Turkish state is doing all this for the sake of advancing its policy of genocide of Kurds.

The main policy of the Turkish state is the policy of genocide of the Kurds. It conducts all its politics and relations accordingly. This is also its approach to the Palestinian cause. It wants to take advantage of the situation by pretending to defend the Palestinian cause. In reality, Turkey is concerned with developing the means to continue its policies of Kurdish genocide and thus increase its power in the region. This is why it looks tough in rhetoric but does not take any concrete steps. Because the Turkish state knows very well that it cannot continue its Kurdish genocide policies without the support of the US, Israel, Europe and NATO. Until today, it has been able to carry out its Kurdish genocide policies with the support it has received from these powers. Therefore, this support is important for the Turkish state.

Tayyip Erdoğan’s disturbances and objections are aimed at increasing this support. The AKP-MHP government has not really been interested in the Palestinian cause because it has received this support until today. Shortly before these war emerged, Tayyip Erdoğan had a meeting with Netanyahu in the USA. When the attacks on Gaza began, Tayyip Erdoğan said, “I was going to go to Israel, but now I have given up on this plan.” However, there are military, commercial and economic agreements worth billions of dollars between Turkey and Israel and these agreements continue as they are. It is known that even the bullets of the Israeli army are made of steel from Turkey. Israel’s army, planes and tanks are conducting drills at their centers in Konya, some of which are produced in Turkey. This is how much Turkey is involved in this war, it is a part of this war. They are trying to cover up the hypocrisy by hiding these from the public. By doing some very hypocritical things; for example, by not buying and consuming Israeli products in the parliament, the reaction against the state of Israel is supposedly developed. But military relations, energy and trade lines are fully functioning, millions of dollars continue to flow in and out on a daily basis. Indeed, this is the height of distortion and special warfare! Unfortunately, the pathetic situation in which the so-called opposition figures find themselves provides the ground for the government to play these games.

One of the reasons why the Turkish state has developed a certain discourse against Israel is the Iranian factor. As long as the Palestinian problem remains unresolved, the reactions against Israel in Arab and Islamic countries will not end. Iran takes advantage of the environment created by this reaction. It is unthinkable for Turkey, which has contradictions with Iran in the region and is engaged in a regional power struggle between them, to stay out of this and leave this area entirely to Iran. By developing a certain reaction and gathering some of the reaction around it, Turkey is preventing a complete shift of attention to Iran. Therefore, Turkey’s approach is highly political and this is not beyond the consent of the US. Another reason is domestic public opinion in Turkey. The AKP-MHP government rules the state and the country by establishing a tight manipulation and control over society. For this to happen, it has become very important to create and manage perceptions. Considering that local elections will soon be held, it is obvious that the AKP-MHP government will want to turn this situation into an opportunity. As a matter of fact, in the rally held in Istanbul for Palestine and Gaza, the masses were told about the enmity against Kurds and Rojava, and it was stated that new invasions would be carried out. In Turkey, the masses are being agitated by nationalism, religionism and Kurdish hostility. The Kurdish enmity is covered up with Islamic-religious discourses. In reality, Turkey has only one policy, and that is the Kurdish genocide policy. The Turkish state calculates and desires to become a power in the region through Kurdish enmity and genocide. It uses religion, Islam and nationalism for this purpose. It uses Hamas and the Palestinian cause for this purpose. Beyond this, the Turkish state has no interest and support for the Palestinian cause.

The anxious situation of the Turkish state is due to the fact that the balance is shifting to its detriment and that this will damage its policies of Kurdish genocide. All of Tayyip Erdoğan’s efforts are aimed at preventing this and, moreover, to get results in favor of his genocide policies. It is a fact that Turkey has always benefited from the increase in contradictions and conflicts in the world and the region. The benefit it has seen from the environment and balances created by the conflict situation has been decisive in carrying out its policies of Kurdish genocide. Without these factors, the Turkish state would not have been able to carry out its policies of Kurdish genocide based on its own power. Therefore, the Turkish state is not disturbed by the development of the conflict situation in the Middle East. On the contrary, it plans to create opportunities for itself from the conflict situation. By doing so, it plans to gain more support in the war against the Kurds and to carry out new invasions in Rojava and Syria.

While evaluating the wars and conflicts in the Middle East, Abdullah Öcalan states that religious ideologies and nationalism cannot create a solution, on the contrary, he stated “As long as the mentality of nation-statism, whether in the form of religious or secular nationalism, continues, it is inevitable that these societies will clash even more”. And also added, that this mentality is the root cause of wars and problems. As a solution modell, he puts forward the ‘democratic nation’. How can this solution be adapted to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?

Historically, social problems have increased with the development of the statist system. As the state developed, humanity moved away from equality, freedom, fraternity and living together in peace. Instead exploitation and war have become dominant. This is a historical reality. The nation-state system is the system with the highest level of conflict, war and exploitation. The first and second world wars, and the hundreds of local and regional wars that preceded and followed these two great wars, were wars created and waged by nation-states. Conflict, war and exploitation in the last two centuries are hundreds of times greater than the negativity experienced in tens of thousands of years of human history before. This is not a matter of the sophistication of the tools of war, but of the mentality. The Middle East is one of the places where the nation-state has caused the most damage and has no solution power. The nation-state has increased the existing problems in the Middle East many times over. Now, all the problems in the Middle East take their source from the nation-state. The most fundamental obstacle to developments is the nation-state. Rêber Apo has dealt extensively with the character, mentality and consequences of both the state in general and the nation-state in particular within the historical social reality. The consequences of the nation-state, whether secular or religious, are the same. In both cases, it increases the problems and deepens the lack of solution.

One of the best examples of the secular and religious forms of the nation-state is Turkey. At its foundation, Turkey had a secular-nationalist form, where today it is based on religious-nationalism. In both cases, no real solution to Turkey’s problems has been found. Because it is not possible to solve problems of the society with the nation-state. The nation-state is essentially a doctrine of war and genocide. In addition to the war being waged against society, what goes on within the nation-state is more brutal, predatory, full of intrigue and conspiracies than what goes on in the kingdoms and dynasties before. It is utterly wrong to think that such a system will enlighten society and ensure progress. This is especially the view held by those in Turkey who are based on the idea of secularism. When religious nationalism comes to power and entrenches itself in the state, it is assumed that secular nationalism will lead a correct life and solve problems. However, the nation-state is an obstacle to enlightenment, democratization and a right and free life. Therefore, problems can be solved and progress can be achieved by overcoming both forms of nationalism.

The real solution to the problems in the Middle East can be found in the policy of the democratic nation. The democratic nation is a way of life in which the national reality is lived in its true dimensions, without the blinding and misleading aspects of nationalism. The democratic nation is the system in which peoples, societies, faith communities as well as women can live and express themselves in the most correct and free way. At the same time, the nation-state is the most crystallized form of power and authority, which is the product of the male-dominated mentality. Secular nationalism and religious nationalism are just different forms of the nation-state. In such a system, it is not possible for society, peoples and women to exist, live freely and express themselves. That it is not possible is already evident in practice.

Nationalism is at the root of the Arab-Jewish contradiction and problem. Therefore, overcoming this problem and living together and in peace can only be possible by overcoming nationalism, by overcoming both versions of the nation-state, religious and secular nationalism. This is the solution method we advocate. We do not think that the problems will be solved by establishing more nation-states. This is currently being presented as the most advanced solution to the Palestinian problem. Of course, the Israeli state does not accept this either. But a fundamental solution to the problem cannot be achieved by creating a state for the Palestinians. First of all, the nation-state mentality must be overcome. Unless this happens, contradiction and conflict will not end. A solution cannot be achieved by separating geographies, mountains, rivers and cities with the nation-state mentality. The solution for Jerusalem is to divide the city in two. Can such a thing happen? Many peoples, communities and beliefs live together in these ancient lands. In a geography with such diversity, it is not possible to solve problems through nationalism and nation-statism. This will only result in at each other’s throats. As a matter of fact, this is what has been happening for a hundred years. This can only be overcome with a democratic nation mentality and solution where all differences can live together and all national, cultural and religious communities can express themselves. The place where the democratic nation solution will find the most ground is the geography where Israel and the Palestinian people live.

How important is the solution of the Kurdish question and the Palestinian question for the solution of the problems in the Middle East, for the development of democratization and for the peoples to live in freedom, security and peace?

In fact, throughout the interview I tried to explain the importance of these two problems and the correct solution we envision. The order created by the forces of capitalist modernity in the Middle East has been to the detriment of the peoples. The denial and genocide of the Kurdish and Palestinian peoples is a result of this order. The problematic situation in the Middle East has been maintained by leaving these two problems unresolved and abandoning them to genocide. In this way, the nation-states in the Middle East have been pitted against each other and within themselves, controlled by the hegemonic powers and thus the Middle East has been made completely dependent. The peoples of the Middle East have suffered great pain and damage. The Kurdish people and the Palestinian people have suffered the most. The lack of a solution to these two problems has led not only to these peoples, but also to the development of the domination of the colonialist powers, the imperialists, over the region as we have mentioned, and to the damage of all peoples.

It can be said that if these two problems are solved, important developments will take place in the whole of the Middle East, conflict and war will end and real peace will become achievable. The Kurdish and Palestinian questions are the two biggest problems in the Middle East. But they are also the two biggest dynamics of democratization in the Middle East. Since the solution of these two problems requires a democratic mentality and approach, nationalism, religionism, nation-statism and all kinds of fanaticism, which are the sources of the problems in the Middle East, therefore need to be overcome. The fact that Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Israel have undergone some democratic transformations as a result of the permanent solution of these two problems is enough to understand the importance and magnitude of the developments. On the other hand, the grounds for all the designs, operations and conspiracies designed in the Middle East will be eliminated. Not only the region but also the world will be positively affected by the solution of the Kurdish and Palestinian problems.

PKK, 45 years struggling for the existence, freedom and honour of the Kurdish people

Formally founded on 27 and 28 November 1978 the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan) core group was made up largely of political science students led by Abdullah Öcalan in Ankara.

ANF
NEWS DESK
Monday, 27 Nov 2023

Formally founded on 27 and 28 November 1978, the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan) core group was made up largely of political science students led by Abdullah Öcalan in Ankara. The group soon moved its focus to the large Kurdish population in south-east Turkey. On 27 November 1978, the group adopted the name "Kurdistan Workers' Party".

The 1980 Turkish coup d'état pushed the organization to another stage with the members doing jail time, being subject to capital punishment, or fleeing to Syria.

The first congress of the organization was held in 1982 and outlined the various phases necessary for the liberation of Kurdistan.

In 1984, on 15 August, the PKK carried out its first armed action.

The founding of the PKK was initially the answer to the bitter alternative of “assimilation or extinction” in a state that was committed to the ideology of ethnic homogeneity. Abdullah Öcalan, Haki Karer, Kemal Pir, Sakine Cansız and a handful of comrades-in-arms decided on the path of resistance against the feudalism of the time and a colonialism aimed at exploitation and ultimately extermination.

These first militants refrained from writing pages of declarations of intent and theoretical treatises on independence and self-determination. They preferred practice. "We have to live the alternative that we always talk about," said Öcalan. So they looked for a way into society, talked to people everywhere about their everyday problems, founded small circles of "help for self-help" and showed how social resistance can develop - even on a small scale. With empathy, seriousness and determination, the still young PKK lit the fire of self-empowerment.

One of the greatest achievements is the break with the concept of nation states. Wherever the PKK movement is active, attempts are being made to push back the state and rely on social self-organization. A growing "grassroots revolution". The "Declaration of Democratic Confederalism" proclaimed in 2005 as a strategic realignment of the party is evidence of the PKK's ability to learn from mistakes and respond to social changes with new answers.

The PKK in its own words

"Our party, since its inception, has been struggling for the existence, freedom and honour of the Kurdish people against the genocide begun by the racist-chauvinist Unionists at the beginning of the 20th century, which aimed to end the freedom of the Kurdish people and wipe them out from history. In this sense, the decision taken on 27th November 1978 to become a party was also a decision for national existence and resistance. This is why this day is being celebrated as national resistance by our people.

Over the years, the PKK has fought to safeguard and realize the freedom of the Kurdish people against the physical and cultural genocide and assimilation policies of the Turkish nation-state. Our party has staged a great resistance against one of the biggest army’s in the world, supported by NATO, and also Gladio (deep state) organization to bring the Kurdish people to the point of declaring democratic autonomy."

PKK, 45 years of great struggles and great achievements

On the occasion of its 45th founding anniversary, the PKK Executive Committee declared its determination to continue fighting against all forms of patriarchy, nationalism, racism, the liberalism of capitalist modernity and to create a democratic system.

ANF
BEHDINAN
Thursday, 23 Nov 2023

On November 27th, the PKK celebrates its 45th founding anniversary. On the occasion of this historic date, the PKK called for the coming year to be the year of the liberation of the Kurdish representative Abdullah Öcalan, jailed in Imrali, and the resolution of the Kurdish question. The statement from the PKK Executive Committee said: "We are now celebrating the 45th anniversary of the founding of the PKK, our pioneer in the fight for freedom. As a movement, a people and democratic humanity, we enter the 46th year even stronger and more determined on the basis of the global freedom campaign. We are convinced that this year we will achieve important achievements to guarantee the physical freedom of Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan].

The 45th year was a year of great struggle and great achievements

With this in mind, we congratulate all our comrades, especially Rêber Apo, our patriotic people and our revolutionary-democratic friends on November 27th, the celebration and founding day of the party. We remember with deep respect, love and gratitude all of our courageous martyrs, starting with Heval Haki Karer up to those who died in the 45th year, whom we would like to remember here by naming comrades Leyla, Axîn, Rojhat and Erdal. For the 46th year of the PKK, we announce that we will fight even harder on the line of apoism and the martyr and achieve even greater victories."

The statement continued: "As is well known, Rêber Apo and the PKK were not born into active, ongoing resistance, nor did they inherit the possibilities of such resistance. On the contrary, the PKK emerged and developed as a modern national liberation, freedom and democracy movement in an environment in which the classic uprisings had been completely crushed, all momentum had been stifled and the Kurdish people were almost annihilated on the basis of a cultural genocide brought to the brink of extinction. The PKK emerged and developed solely thanks to the creative efforts of its leader Abdullah Öcalan and the great courage and sacrifice of the Kurdish people, led by young people and women. For this reason, every moment was a moment of intense struggle. Each year witnessed much more extensive resistance and war than the previous, and everything from a few words to a free life was achieved through great sacrifice by the fallen. The PKK's 45th year was also a year of great struggle and full of successes.

Apoism became global

Everyone today knows and accepts the fact that the Kurdish people, through the great struggle led by Rêber Apo and the PKK, overcame the cultural genocide and won everything for their survival and freedom through the struggle led by Rêber Apo and the PKK. With the struggle of the last half century, the Kurdish slave mentality and the threat of extinction have been overcome and a free Kurdish identity has been created, an identity in which people have the strength and will to pay any price for their freedom. Kurdistan has transformed from a bastion of reaction to a bastion of the freedom struggle. A place that inspires all oppressed humanity. Kurdish society became aware of the apoist ideology of freedom and organized itself. She led the most important war of freedom in history. On the basis of such a struggle, apoism was globalized and the Kurdish freedom struggle became a fire lighting the path of all oppressed humanity."

The 21st century has become the century of women’s liberation

The statement added: "The PKK's struggle in its 45th year has brought all of these developments to a climax. The guerrilla resistance led by the struggle in the Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna areas and the brave struggle of our people and our friends in the four parts of Kurdistan and abroad have dealt severe blows to the AKP-MHP fascism and brought it to the brink of collapse. The comprehensive revolutionary people's war and resistance for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and against the isolation, torture and extermination system on Imrali has reached a strength that also influences the agenda of regional and global politics. The Kurdistan Free Women's Movement, which developed on the lines of 'Jin Jiyan Azadî', has impressed women all over the world with its ideological and practical struggle and has already made the 21st century a century of women's freedom. The Kurdish youth movement is a pioneer in building a global youth movement as an alternative of democratic modernity to capitalist modernity. She has the will to shape the future with her own hands.

A new global democracy movement has begun

We welcome the guerrilla, popular, women and youth resistance in the 45th year of the PKK, which is following the trail of resistance in all areas from dungeons to the mountains, from the four parts of Kurdistan to all places in the world developed by Imrali; We congratulate their success and honor all those who died in the process. We believe that all this self-sacrificing resistance will become even more successful and stronger in the 46th year and wish everyone much success in this regard.

It is clear that we will enter the 46th party year with the campaign 'Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a solution to the Kurdish question' announced on 10 October. This global freedom campaign was initiated by our friends and is supported by our people and all of humanity. Now there are actions in every region and every day demanding the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and the solution to the Kurdish question. Our people and our friends are entering the new year of the party with this broad and effective mobilization. Women and young people are leading this campaign on a global scale. Freedom-minded and democratic people of all genders, nationalities and social classes are taking part in this campaign. A new global fight for freedom and democracy has begun. This great struggle, which is developing for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and on the basis of the adoption of his democratic, ecological and women's liberation paradigm, shows that a new 'global democracy movement' has indeed begun."

Participate in the Freedom Campaign

The statement added: "It is clear that the PKK's 46th year will make this active freedom campaign its basis. All struggles, from guerrilla to women's, youth and popular resistance, will unite in this global freedom campaign. Our movement, our people and our friends will fight and win against the fascist dictatorship of Tayyip Erdoğan and his alliance through this campaign. In the 45th year of the struggle, the foundations of the murderous system were shaken and a process was initiated in which all balances were disturbed. In the 46th year, the freedom struggle will complete this development and destroy AKP-MHP fascism.

On this basis, it will open the way for the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and a solution to the Kurdish question. In this context, we call on all comrades, our patriotic people and our democratic friends to properly understand the meaning of the global freedom campaign launched on 10 October, to participate fully and strongly in it and to use it in diverse and creative ways to lead forms of fighting to victory."

The path is open, the light lies before us

The statement remarked: “Our goal for the 46th year, our aspirations and will to succeed are based on this. Based on the global freedom campaign, no violence, no invasion, no massacre, no persecution and no deception will be able to prevent us from moving further towards the physical freedom of Rêber Apo and a solution to the Kurdish question. The people of Kurdistan will never allow themselves to become victims of regional and global conflicts of interest, like the people of Gaza. The liberalism of capitalist modernity, as well as the nationalism, fundamentalism, sexism and positivist scienticism that these wars give rise to, will be strongly and effectively combated in all areas. Efforts are being made to ensure that all oppressed groups and peoples develop consciousness and organize themselves to wage a common struggle based on democratic confederalism. Democratic confederalism is based on democratic autonomy and democratic nationhood. On this basis, the line of development and strengthening of the strategic alliance with the freedom and democracy struggles of all oppressed groups and peoples and the use of all kinds of tactical relationships will be pursued.

It is clear that in the 46th year our path is open and leads into the light. It is clear where, what and how we should act. Let us understand these realities more accurately and deeply, internalize the apoist paradigm of freedom more, participate more in the global freedom campaign, and fight with more creative methods in every field and lead the campaign to victory! Let's make the 46th year of the PKK the year of Rêber Apo's physical freedom and the solution of the Kurdish question!

On this basis, we once again warmly congratulate Rêber Apo, all our companions, our people and our friends on November 27th, the day of the party, and call on everyone to celebrate the founding day of the PKK with a variety of actions. We will reconnect it with the global freedom campaign to celebrate with great enthusiasm!

Against all forms of patriarchy

We would also like to remember 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We condemn all forms and dimensions of patriarchy. We believe that the revolution for women's liberation will be further strengthened by developing the fight against violence against women. We declare that both men and women should participate in activities on this basis, and we welcome all actions that develop on the basis of the women's liberation revolution and wish them great success."

 

PKK and PAJK prisoners in Turkey go on hunger strike

PKK and PAJK prisoners in Turkey will be on hunger strike from 27 November to 15 February in support of the international campaign "Freedom for Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question".

•  ANF
 
•  NEWS DESK
 
•  Tuesday, 28 Nov 2023,

Members of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and PAJK (Party of Free Women in Kurdistan) imprisoned in Turkey went on hunger strike on 27 November in support of the international campaign "Freedom for Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question". According to the announcement by the prisoners' representative Deniz Kaya, the hunger strike is to be carried out in alternating groups from 27 November to 15 February. Sick and elderly prisoners as well as prisoners with less than two years remaining on their sentence will not be included in the action.

Deniz Kaya announced that the prisoners will also publicise the campaign's demands by writing letters to foreign representations, human rights institutions, the media, political parties and non-governmental organisations, and will regularly ask the Turkish Ministry of Justice about Abdullah Öcalan's isolation on the prison island of Imrali. In addition, they will remind the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of its neglected responsibility. The ongoing court proceedings will be used to denounce the isolation in public spaces and raise awareness about it, said Deniz Kaya and called on the prisoners to act collectively and to refrain from individual forms of action.

The statement released by Deniz Kaya on behalf of the PKK and PAJK prisoners includes the following:

"We wish success to our friends, comrades and peoples who are participating in this campaign with creative methods, with their minds and hearts, with pens, art, prayers and all kinds of resistance actions everywhere, and we would like to declare that we are with them with all our being, even if we are physically detained under strict isolation conditions.

We have had no news of Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] for three years. His continuous isolation has lasted since the first day of his imprisonment almost 25 years ago. If nothing is heard from Imrali, anything is conceivable in a negative sense. This assumption is based on the tradition of the Republic of Turkey and what we are still experiencing today. Imrali is where the real battle is being fought. Since the gates of Imrali were closed to the public in 2015, the concept of total war has been realised. The violence of the massacres and intimidation policy outside is an indication that the struggle on Imrali is being waged with the same intensity.

The reality of İmralı was created as a result of an international alliance and is being tried to be carried out with the same alliance. For this reason, as long as the isolation and Imrali captivity continues, we will know that the inter-state conspiracy continues. The fact that a strategic move towards the Middle East was made with the captivity of Leader Apo is much clearer when we look at the practice of the past 25 years. Although the Kurds have suffered the most, the attack on Leader Apo was actually an attack on the democratic Middle East ideal. While the whole region was being redesigned, a strong potential that could benefit from this opportunity in favour of the peoples was wanted to be neutralised at the very beginning. The global powers and their collaborators, who based their political calculations on the derivatives of nationalism and religionism, did not want any discourse or action contrary to the status quo they had created.

The US can never have organised the capture of LeaderApo solely for the benefit of Turkey. The Turkish state mind was unable to recognise this, and this inability still exists despite the past 25 years. A government that has had its soul and thinking deformed by hostility to the Kurds could not be expected to read either the present or the future correctly. They did not think it necessary to take any intellectual or political measures that could thwart the fictionalised game. They did not see that the fire that had been lit in the Middle East would gradually grow and develop into a conflagration. Saddam did not see this and paid for it with his life. Iraq was redesigned. Libya, Egypt, Sudan and Yemen experienced different versions of this process. The situation in Syria is obvious. With his historical and current analyses, Leader Apo has often warned and offered solutions for what could happen. He analysed the impasse into which nationalist, religious and sexist scourges have dragged humanity with all its dimensions. He tried to be a breath of fresh air not only for the peoples of the Middle East, but for all the peoples of the world, the oppressed, women and nature. He did this in his cramped cell, where he was left breathless.

Societies have become breathless, fragmented, divided, powerless, helpless and vulnerable to intervention due to the mutual nationalist and religious provocations and the sexist siege that is still being attempted to be maintained. Any practice that provokes and feeds this situation supports the crisis and the prevailing understanding of power and has no future to offer the peoples. The current Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the latest harbinger of this mentality. Regardless of the outcome, it is already certain that there will be no solution to this conflict in favour of the peoples. It will not be possible to get out of this vicious circle without eradicating the religious and nationalist seeds that have been sown in these countries for years by the deliberate policies of the hegemonic powers and the governments on their axis. It is a state of endless conflict, of an inability to find a solution, of the devaluation of life and the gradual loss of its colours.

Leader Apo's idea of the democratic nation and democratic confederalism corresponds to the hope and practice of recreating life. It is a strong intervention in the power games on display. Which male despot can exist in a Middle East where differences live together, where faith communities nurture rather than destroy each other, and where women participate freely and equally in life? Which hegemonic power can move at will in a Middle East that has achieved its own inner peace and devotes its energy to strengthening free life?

The logic of keeping the doors of Imrali firmly closed in this process, in which the intervention to reshape the entire region is gaining momentum, is obvious. The absolute isolation on Imrali is maintained not only by the will of the Turkish state apparatus, which is entrusted with the task of guardianship, but also by the common will of the powers that have signed the international conspiracy. The isolation of Leader Apo is directed against all peoples and the alternative option of a free life, and the fire is growing and getting hotter. The delusions of those who believe they can protect themselves with even more nationalism and religious fanaticism are pouring petrol on the fire.

The peoples, democratic faith communities and women need to get more involved than ever before. The current political scene, including Turkey, has completely turned into an area of interest for specialised groups. A sickening hypocrisy has gripped many areas. It is clear that a comfortable conformist opposition can lead to no other result than the reproduction of the existing system. All social groups in Turkey speak of decay, injustice, impoverishment and crisis. These are all results. In Turkey, people talk about the results, but they do not want to see the reasons and causes, they are overlooked.

The Kurdish question is one of the main reasons leading to these results. It is not wanted resolved because it means more war. It is clear that this entails large military expenditures and the impoverishment of the population. It also means lawlessness, illegality, arbitrariness, in short, a special war and its financing. This means black money, drug trafficking, mafias and gangs. The lack of a solution to the Kurdish question means insistence on the oppression of the tyrant.

Leader Apo knows and defines the political, economic, ecological and gender-specific problems in his society and in the world and offers real solutions. He builds his life on fulfilling his duties and responsibilities to realise these solutions. When he is unable to do the things which he believes need to be changed, corrected and restored, he changes himself. Although he has been kept in strict isolation for years, he does not allow his potential and his accumulation to be taken away from him. He shares the definitions and solution methods he has chosen from this potential and accumulation at every opportunity. Leader Apo defends freedom, equality, justice and democracy at all costs and prevents the nation-state system from swallowing up these values and needs and condemning them to nothingness. He brings the truth to the people and presents excellent ways and methods of understanding and explaining this truth. He is subject to such severe attacks because he cares for the well-being and human life of all without complaining or expecting anything in return. He is a leader who keeps his promises and succeeds in everything he does. His promise to the peoples to make a revolution comes to life in Rojava and Shengal and spreads to all peoples in the world together with the Kurdish society.Leader Apo manages to survive under all conditions by focusing on the good, the beautiful and the true and bringing them together with life and people. He is a leader who brings forth free thoughts and theories and has solutions to every problem. He puts the consciousness and philosophy he has created based on these values at the service of humanity through his democratic, ecological and women-liberating paradigm. With this paradigm, he builds both the present and the future.

In the destructive isolation system of Imrali, where he has been held for years, Leader Apo has determined his own attitude, chosen his own path and achieved great success. For all these reasons, the solution to the Kurdish question and the physical freedom of Leader Apo are one and the same, one cannot and must not be considered separately from the other. It is indeed with this awareness that the campaign is called "Freedom for Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question". For this reason, it is both pleasing to see that people from all peoples are shouldering this campaign, and it is an expression of the determination to extinguish the fire of hell and create paradise together.

Leader Apo says, ‘Revolution is the separation of what needs to be experienced and what does not need to be experienced.’ Through its attacks, the AKP/MHP fascism imposes what is unnecessary on all of us. While the fascist regime imposes surrender on us and the guerrillas, it tries to condemn the democratic public to daily endeavours that cannot even meet their biological needs. As prisoners of the PKK and the PAJK, we feel with our whole being all the actions that are carried out despite the daily worsening conditions and isolation. Wherever we breathe, we will never give up our insistence on a free life and our belief in the free and equal unity of our peoples. And we will endeavour to be worthy of Leader Apo, who unites all these ideals, with even greater determination and practical implementation.”

Hunger line continues to exceed Turkey’s minimum wage in November: labor union

ByTurkish Minute
November 28, 2023

Data released by a leading labor union in Turkey on Tuesday showed the hunger line, which refers to the amount a family of four has to spend on basic food expenses, to be TL 14,025 ($484) in November, again exceeding the minimum wage, which is 11,402 lira, currently valued at $394.

In November, the total amount a family of four needs to live without feeling deprived of food and the money required to pay other expenses such as rent and utilities – referred to as the poverty line – also increased, reaching TL 45,686 ($1,579), according to Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (Türk-İş) figures.

The poverty line is determined based on various factors including the cost of education, health, housing, heating and transportation, representing the necessary expenditures a family incurs to avoid deprivation.

This latest data from Türk-İş marks an increase from October’s figures, where the hunger and poverty lines were documented by the union at TL 13,684 ($472) and TL 44,573 (1,540), respectively. It offers insight into the climbing cost of living Turkish families face, highlighting a persistent trend of economic hardship in the nation.

Inflation has become a pressing issue in Turkey, reaching an annual rate of 61.3 percent in October, according to official data.

Over the past several years the country has been suffering from a deteriorating economy, with high inflation and unemployment, as well as a poor human rights record. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is criticized for mishandling the economy, emptying the state’s coffers and establishing one-man rule in the country where dissent is suppressed and opponents are jailed on politically motivated charges.

The lira, which traded at 28.9 to the US dollar on Tuesday, has weakened 35 percent so far this year.

TURKIYE

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Turkey detains wife of former Erdoğan confidant who revealed govt’s dirty laundry

ByTurkish Minute
November 28, 2023

Ali Yeşildağ, a former associate of Erdoğan and a member of the influential Yeşildağ family, which owns Es Medya and the Yapı Yapı construction company, claimed that he and Ali İhsan Arslan, also known as Mücahit Arslan, an MP of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) since 2015, were key figures in a criminal organization that helped Erdoğan profit by manipulating the Antalya Airport operation tender.

Turkish police on Friday raided an apartment in İstanbul belonging to Ali Yeşildağ, a former confidant of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who made shocking revelations about the president earlier this year, and detained his wife, Serpil, Turkish Minute has learned.

The İstanbul police seized documents, digital materials, computers and mobile phones in the apartment during their search.

The detention of Serpil Yeşildağ took place shortly after news broke about her husband’s escape from Turkey to Greece to avoid prosecution due to his revelations about alleged corruption and criminal activities involving Erdoğan and his family and government.

Greek media outlet LIFO reported last week that Yeşildağ, 54, was detained by Greek police in Evros on Nov. 17 trying to enter Greece illegally. LIFO reported that he was taken to Komotini Prison. He is now seeking political asylum in Greece. The businessman, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, is also seeking his release from detention, citing his medical condition, through his lawyer.

The Yeşildağ family has a longstanding relationship with Erdoğan. Hasan Yeşildağ, the eldest brother, served as Erdoğan’s bodyguard during the latter’s imprisonment in 1999. Ali Yeşildağ parted ways with Erdoğan and his own family later due to disagreements.

Yeşildağ came to public attention with the seven videos he had had posted on the YouTube account of investigative journalist Cevheri Güven in the run-up-to the general election in May.

He made explosive revelations how the Erdoğan family made hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains through front companies that on paper were run by their cronies but in reality belonged to themselves.

Yeşildağ was targeted by the government after his videos attracted widespread attention on social media and an investigation was launched into him by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on charges of terrorist organization membership.

Turkey had reportedly had an Interpol Red Notice issued for him due to a previous crime.

Yeşildağ, who was arrested in 2015 on the grounds that he had not served his full sentence for a crime he committed in 1986 and was released from prison in 2020 as part of measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, said his arrest was a conspiracy against him to keep him silent and under control. He claimed his arrest took place with Erdoğan’s involvement when he wanted to part ways with his own family, which had deprived him of assets, and when his efforts to seek help from Erdoğan all failed.

Yeşildağ faced another arrest warrant issued in 2021 to serve the rest of his sentence, which, according to Turkey’s Justice Ministry, is four years. Yeşildağ claims he has already served his sentence and would not surrender to judicial authorities.

In one of his videos Yeşildağ accused Erdoğan of siphoning off $1 billion from a public tender for the operation of an airport in the country’s Antalya province.

He claimed Erdoğan manipulated the tender to ensure that the contract was awarded to a company owned by one of his close associates, who then channeled a portion of the funds to Erdoğan.

In another video, Yeşildağ revealed a corruption scheme involving the misappropriation of $3.5 billion worth of European Union funds earmarked for the improvement of Turkey’s agriculture sector. He alleged that then-minister of agriculture Mehdi Eker, along with his family and close associates, established a network of shell companies to divert the funds for their personal enrichment.

Yeşildağ asserted that he is only sharing information about instances of corruption in which he was personally involved or has firsthand knowledge. He promised to reveal more in future videos, stating that “you will vomit in the future.”

Ministry launches probe into sports people involved in multi-million dollar fraud scheme

ByTurkish Minute
November 28, 2023

The Turkish Youth and Sports Ministry has initiated an inquiry into sports people involved in a fraudulent multi-million dollar investment scheme that ensnared some of the country’s most prominent football stars.

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in April, following a complaint from the victims, launched an investigation to the allegations that Seçil Erzan, the former branch manager at Denizbank Levent, collected around 43 million US dollars and 15 million Turkish lira from 29 people.

After the investigation led to an indictment in November, Erzan and six other suspects were charged with “qualified fraud” and “forgery.”

Erzan, who faces 226 years in prison over the charges, stands at the heart of this controversy involving the “Fatih Terim Fund.”

Fatih Terim, an iconic figure in Turkish football, is associated with the scandal as Erzan lured investors with promises of astronomically high returns, as much as 40 percent a month, using Terim’s credentials to secure the trust of its footballer victims, who respected and trusted the legendary coach with a stellar career that includes rare achievements in European cups for Turkey’s Galatasaray football club.

The alleged victims, including former football stars such as Arda Turan and Selçuk İnan, were reportedly provided with nothing more substantial than handwritten notes or simple papers as proof of their investments, a stark departure from standard banking practice.

The ministry’s investigation will focus on the footballers and sports figures linked to Erzan, examining their relationships and the source of the funds involved.

Allegations of large sums of money being handed over in cash have raised suspicions regarding the source of these funds. The probe aims to expose the network of relationships involved in the fraud case, and the potential exists for some sports figures to face administrative penalties following the ministry’s investigation.

The ministry has also launched a comprehensive investigation into match-fixing in Turkish football, the Habertürk news website reported. This investigation reportedly also includes the fraud case and will inquire whether the money used and handed over in the recent fraud case is related to match-fixing.

The ministry probe to determine whether match-fixing was the source of the funds collected by Erzan brought to mind the 2011 match-fixing scandal in Turkey.

The match-fixing scandal became news in the summer of 2011 when police launched an investigation into 19 football matches suspected of being fixed, and by July 10, 61 people had been arrested, including then-Fenerbahçe Chairman Aziz Yıldırım and Turkish national players.

On July 2, 2012 a Turkish court convicted and sentenced Yıldırım to six years, three months in prison on match-fixing charges. Fenerbahçe’s then-vice chairman Şekip Mosturoğlu was sentenced to one year, 10 months in prison.

However, in 2015, two years after the Turkish government led by then-prime minister and current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded to a corruption probe by law enforcement by cracking down on the police and judiciary, the match-fixing case was retried, and the court acquitted all the people who had been convicted. Following that, an indictment by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office accused 38 former judges and prosecutors of involvement in a conspiracy in the match-fixing investigation.
Denizbank’s statement

Denizbank, one of Turkey’s largest private banks with 15,000 employees and nearly 700 branches, has publicly addressed its connection to the scandal involving Erzan, a former branch manager.

According to a Denizbank statement on Tuesday, the issue came to light on April 7, 2023, when a complainant, also a customer of the bank, visited the Levent branch, formerly headed by Erzan.

The bank stated it had no involvement in the alleged scheme, emphasizing that the scandal was an isolated incident unrelated to the bank’s operations.

Denizbank highlighted its commitment to the ongoing legal process and underlined that Erzan’s actions were not connected to her duties at the bank and that the institution was unaware of her actions until the scandal broke.

Upon learning of the allegations, Denizbank said it immediately initiated an internal inquiry, while adding that efforts to contact Erzan on the day the allegations surfaced were unsuccessful. The bank later communicated with her, receiving a statement about her actions.

The bank said it has cooperated fully with authorities, providing necessary information and documentation to aid the investigation.

The bank emphasized that the scandal has led to widespread media speculation, with various outlets presenting one-sided views, often neglecting the bank’s official statements and expressed concern over the damage to its reputation due to the media’s portrayal of the incident.

Critics point to the necessity of investigating the involvement of the higher echelons of Denizbank about the scandal.

Some criticize the oversight mechanisms at Denizbank and whether signs of Erzan’s alleged activities were overlooked or ignored while speculating on the potential involvement of other high-ranking bank officials, suggesting that Erzan might not have acted alone.

According to a report by the Kronos news website, evidence found during a police search of Erzan’s home, including Excel spreadsheets, bank receipts and transfer records, indicates Denizbank’s direct involvement in the scandal. Tables showing debtors and creditors were reportedly prepared not by Erzan but by high-ranking officials at Denizbank.

Erzan’s statements in her defense and during the investigation suggest a concerted effort to distance the bank from the scandal. According to her account, she was coerced into claiming that the fraudulent activities were conducted outside the bank’s operations.

The BDDK decided not to file a complaint against the bank, which effectively removed Denizbank from the scope of the investigation.

UK

Andy Burnham floats overhauling inheritance tax and a basic income

TO THE LEFT OF SIR KEIR

Katie Neame

© R Heilig/Shutterstock.com

Andy Burnham has said “there is an argument for a basic income” and proposed overhauling inheritance tax to fund a National Care Service, declaring that a “much fairer, more equal society” could be created if public money were spent differently.

Speaking to the New Statesman’s Path to Power conference this morning, the Greater Manchester mayor said Labour has to start discussing “how are we going to get the investment upfront to start rebuilding”, warning that it will not be possible “not to raise the issue of tax”.

He argued that the public are “ready to be given a sophisticated argument” about where things may need to change, discussing changes including revaluing the council tax system and introducing tourist taxes.

Asked specifically what a Labour government should do for local government funding, Burnham also proposed funding a National Care Service through replacing inheritance tax with a “care levy” that everyone would pay, with the wealthiest contributing the most.

The Labour mayor also called for the country to emulate Finland by following a “national housing first philosophy”, telling attendees: “I am really clear that we could achieve a much fairer, more equal society if we prioritise things differently and spend public money differently and particularly prioritise housing.”

Burnham argued that, “if you set people up to succeed through giving them security, in terms of their finances and their housing, they will succeed”, adding: “There is an argument for a basic income as far as I’m concerned.”

The mayor also urged Labour to pursue radical constitutional reform in government, arguing that the party “should have rewired the country in ’97” but only did “half a job”. He claimed that the ongoing Covid inquiry demonstrates the “complete inadequacy” of how the country is currently governed.

He reiterated his support for the introduction of proportional representation, as well as backing other reforms including an elected senate of the nations and regions, arguing that such changes would set the country up for a “progressive century”.

The Labour mayor said he and the party’s other mayors are “100% behind Keir and the shadow cabinet” but added that sometimes they have to take “a different perspective” in the interest of their local areas.

Burnham told attendees that 2024 could be a “better moment” than Labour’s landslide victory in 1997, arguing that the country has new infrastructure to deliver in the regions that it did not previously have.

Highlighting the changes that have been achieved in Manchester in recent years, Burnham argued that the city has not seen the “full-fat, ‘levelling up’ of the kind that Boris Johnson lied to us about”.

But he added: “We’re doing something. We just wait for a Labour government to really get behind us and really get it going. Because we are really ready to go.”

He told attendees that “big things” could be done in a single parliament, adding: “If we get at it on the front foot and go quickly, I think we could show real change very quickly, because of the work we’ve done to get ready for levelling up. They never did it, but now we’re ready to work with a Labour government.”