The 41st anniversary of the 15 August 1984 Initiative was celebrated by HPG and YJA guerrillas in the Media Defense Areas. The celebration featured halay dancing, the singing of marches, as well as the recitation of poems.
The program began with a minute’ silence in memory of the Martyrs of Kurdistan’s Freedom. The opening remarks were delivered by YJA Star Commander Sîdar Heştanî.
Beginning her speech, Sîdar Heştanî saluted President Öcalan and paid tribute to all martyrs, particularly commanders Nûreddîn Sofî, Koçero Urfa, and Bahtiyar Gabar.
Heştanî said that the 15 August action was not only a military initiative but also the beginning of a line and a manifesto. She described those times as follows: “It was a history turned to ashes; nothing was left in the name of the Kurds or Kurdistan, and everything belonging to women had been plundered. It was in such a time that Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] emerged. He opened the path above all for free women and fought most strongly for them. Because of this, we now have a women’s army and a women’s party, and today we lead oppressed women across the world. We want to embody and champion the freedom of all women. That is why, as YJA Star and HPG guerrillas, we celebrate the 15 August Initiative based on Leader Apo’s ideas and philosophy. We owe a debt to Leader Apo and to the martyrs.”
The YJA commander continued: “Undoubtedly, 15 August did not only create comrade Egîd [Mahsum Korkmaz]; it created a line, it became a method of command, it became the manifesto and method of guerrilla warfare. It elevated the line of revolution in Kurdistan, the line of armed struggle. It proved the struggle for Kurdish identity. Certainly, the party’s emergence was at first against the traitors, collaborators, and feudal occupiers in Kurdistan who had forgotten their Kurdishness, but after the resistance of valuable comrades in Diyarbakır prison such as Kemal Pir, Hayri Durmuş, and Ali Çiçek, the need arose to launch armed struggle as a second step. The struggle that began with the first bullet fired by comrade Egîd continues to this day. As HPG and YJA Star guerrillas, whether in war or in peace, wherever we may be, we are the followers of Leader Apo and the path of comrade Egîd. As HPG and YJA Star, we will fulfill the responsibility asked of us in the process that Leader Apo developed for peace and democracy, and we will take part in Leader Apo’s project.”
The martyrs’ path is the basis of our struggle
YJA Star Commander Sîdar Heştanî concluded her remarks by saying: “At the end of every war, peace is achieved; but we know that up to today, war, plunder, and massacres continue in Kurdistan. Physical attacks and femicides targeting women continue. The lands of Kurdistan, especially Botan, are subjected to environmental destruction. Revolutionaries are those who defend the lands of Kurdistan.
In the past days, our party announced the martyrdom of three valuable comrades and commanders: comrade Koçer Urfa, comrade Nûreddîn Sofî, and comrade Bahtiyar Gabar. I personally spent a long time with these friends. Comrade Sofî led us for a long time as a commander, as a comrade. We read that our people turned out in mass from Urfa to Qamishlo, in many cities of North and East Syria as well as Bakur to pay tribute to these comrades. They carried them from Dêrik to Qamishlo. On this occasion, as HPG and YJA Star guerrillas, we send our greetings and respect to all the people who embraced our comrades, to the families of martyrs, to the mothers of martyrs, to the brothers and sisters of martyrs, and to their comrades.”
The YJA commander added: “Once again, we reiterate our pledge to continue the struggle along the martyrs’ path. Our martyrs are our red line; they are the pioneers of new life. If today we are celebrating 15 August, if we are gathered here, if these conditions exist, it is thanks to the sacrifices and labor of the martyrs. It is thanks to commanders like Sofî and Koçero.”
The Kurdish people went from genocide to the negotiating table
Speaking at the celebrations, HPG guerrilla Agirî Şaho said that the 15 August Initiative was a historic turning point for the Kurdish people. “15 August carries great meaning and value for us. If today there is something called Kurdishness, it is thanks to the day the armed struggle began. We make great efforts to celebrate this day. Every comrade took part in the preparations and contributed. If the Kurdish people, who were once subjected to genocide, have today reached the point of sitting at the negotiating table, this is thanks to the 15 August Initiative, when the first bullet was fired in 1984.”
YJA Star guerrilla Bêrîtan Amed also emphasized that 15 August was an initiative that preserved the existence of the Kurdish people. “15 August is one of the important and meaningful days for us. Because at a time when it was said ‘The dream of Kurdistan is buried here’ and the Kurdish people and Kurdistan were denied, the initiative, launched on 15 August 1984 under the leadership of comrade Egîd, foiled the enemy’s plan. While uprisings in Kurdistan’s history had failed, this struggle, ongoing for half a century, forced the state to sit at the table. Of course, the struggle’s progress to this point is thanks to the sacrifices of our martyred comrades. The struggle continuing to this day is the legacy they left us. Our duty is to protect the legacy of our martyred comrades like Nûreddîn Sofî, Koçero Urfa, and Bahtiyar Gabar.”
Source: ANF News
