IRAQI KURDISTAN

KCK calls off unilateral ceasefire

The KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency announced that it has called off the unilateral ceasefire which was announced after the earthquake on 6 February and extended until after the elections, due to the attacks by the Turkish state.

ANF
NEWS DESK
Tuesday, 13 Jun 2023, 

In a statement on Tuesday, the KCK Executive Council Co-Presidency, emphasized that the attacks and killings by the Turkish state continued and the isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan was aggravated during the unilateral ceasefire declared on 6 February, after the earthquake that hit Kurdistan, Turkey and Syria.

Drawing attention to the murder of Hüseyin Arasan in Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî), the statement said: "The AKP-MHP fascism has launched a new wave of attacks against our Movement and our people. Against this wave of fascist attacks, the need for active struggle has become inevitable. We declare that we have called off the unilateral ceasefire that we have taken as of today."

The statement continued: "As is known, two major earthquakes occurred on February 6, 2023 with epicenters in Elbistan and Pazarcık. As a movement, after the seriousness of the earthquake's impact became clear, we decided to stop any action until the humanitarian crisis was contained. We then publicly announced our decision, based on our humanitarian and moral responsibilities. We have called on all our forces, as well as the revolutionary-democratic forces beyond our structures, not to carry out any actions for this reason, especially in the cities. Our People's Defense Forces responded to this appeal with a statement announcing that they ceased their actions and would not undertake any further actions beyond self-defense during this period. The HPG and all military units associated with them have followed this decision of our movement."

The statement continued: "While the heavy impact of the earthquake was still continuing, Turkey entered an election process. During this election, which was considered important by both the people of Kurdistan and the society in Turkey, we decided to extend our halt of all military attacks until the end of the elections in order to eliminate the grounds for provocations by the fascist AKP-MHP government and to thus ensure that the election leads to results in favor of the peoples and the democratic forces. We then again shared this decision with the public. Undoubtedly, as a movement, we advocate and struggle for the democratic political solution to the Kurdish question and the democratization of Turkey. In this respect, our decision constituted a clear support for politics and the political process.

Undoubtedly, our people, patriotic and democratic Kurdish organizations, many personalities, the democratic forces of Turkey, many powers and institutions from the region and the international arena and the democratic public saw our decision positively and supported it. However, the Turkish state and AKP-MHP government have nullified our decision by increasing the invasion and genocidal attacks. The fascist AKP-MHP government never stopped its attacks throughout this period of inaction and continued its attacks on guerrilla areas, and the use of banned weapons. Apart from the guerrilla areas, it continued to increase its attacks and killings against Kurds in South Kurdistan, Shengal, Maxmur and Rojava. It has also increased its attacks on the people and democratic politics in Turkey and Bakur Kurdistan. It continued the isolation of Leader Apo by aggravating it.

In short, the fascist AKP-MHP government has deepened its attacks against our Movement and our people within the scope of the concept of liquidation and genocide, further deepening the isolation of Leader Apo. Despite the increasing attacks by the Turkish army throughout this process of inaction, the guerrillas kept in line with the decision we took, but the increasing attacks by the AKP-MHP government rendered this decision meaningless.

The opposition in Turkey has not taken an approach that will respond to this decision, which means contributing to the humanitarian, conscientious and political process, and has not been able to show its difference from the government by maintaining its nationalist and narrow approach.

Despite this decision – taken as a requirement of our humanitarian and moral responsibility in order to prevent provocations during the election process and to contribute to the development of a political foundation – the attacks and massacres against our forces and our people have continued and increased for more than four months now. In addition, the isolation of Leader Apo has been further aggravated. The recent murder of our revolutionary comrade Baran Avrêl (Hüseyin Arasan) in
Sulaymaniyah also makes clear that AKP-MHP fascism has launched a new wave of attacks against our movement and our people. Against this wave of fascist attacks, the need for an active struggle and for attacks on the enemy everywhere has become inevitable. For all these reasons, we hereby declare that we will end the halt of all military attacks as of today.

Today, everybody has understood more than ever that no progress can take place without the destruction of AKP-MHP fascism. Based on this reality, everyone, especially our people and all revolutionary democratic forces, must further increase the struggle against the fascist AKP-MHP government."