Kongra-Gel held its 9th General Assembly

[Piling]

People’s Congress of Kurdistan (Kongra-Gel) held its 9th General Assembly in the Media Defense Areas between the 30 June – 5 July 2013.

The congress which was participated by 162 delegates from abroad and four parts of Kurdistan witnessed the determination of the policies to be followed in the coming term, as well as significant decisions about the democratic solution process and the building of democratic autonomy from the bottom.

The assembly, held under the slogan "building democratic nation and free life" was dedicated to Sakine Cansız, a co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Fidan Doğan, representative of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) in Paris, and Leyla Şaylemez, member of the Kurdish youth movement, who were brutally executed in Paris on 9 January 2013. Delegates also remembered all "revolutionary martyrs" in the person of Kurdish militant Zeynep Kınacı and the victims of the Sivas massacre who burned to death on 2 July 1993.

The General Assembly re-elected Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan as the President of the KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) with the majority of votes, also changing the management cadre of Kongra Gel and KCK Executive Council Presidency, switching to co-chair system.

The Assembly elected Cemil Bayık and Besê Hozat as the co-chairs of the KCK, and Hacer Zagros and Remzi Kartal as the co-chairs of the KONGRA GEL. Delegates also elected four deputy co-chairs for both organs, two female and two male, abiding by the gender equality principle of all Kurdish organizations and structures.

Murat Karayılan, the former leader of the KCK Executive Council Presidency, has been appointed as the new leader of People’s Defense Forces (HPG).

The congress ended with a series of decisions, including to rapidly form and spread academies as well as communal and cooperative assemblies as the basic organs of the KCK system, to lead works for democratic nation building on the basis of democratic con-federalism, to ensure the organization of democratic autonomy from the bottom and to keep the democratic solution process going despite the AKP government.

In the final press release, published today, Kongra Gel said that the congress handled the political and social outcomes of the public struggles that emerged in Tunisia in 2011, later spread to Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and has eventually turned to a civil war in Syria.

In this respect, the congress said that, "The western imperialist powers, local status-quoist and pro-government powers in the Middle East will no more be able to rule and control the people, nor will they be an answer to people's demands of democracy and freedom. Between these figures is a conflict of powers that will bring nothing new to the people. The third line Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan has developed for true freedom and democracy is the single alternative to be realised for the benefit of the region's peoples. In this respect, Kurdish people are the leading power of global democracy against global capitalism. The revolution in Rojava Kurdistan will set an example for the achievement of democratization in Syria and the Middle East".

Referring to the developments that have taken place since the historic call by Öcalan on 21 March, Kongra Gel remarked that the first stage of the resolution process has been completed, and that it was time for the Turkish state and government to take concrete steps and make the required legal arrangements for the second stage of the process.

Kongra Gel criticized the AKP government for the ongoing construction of new military posts and dams, the increase in the number of village guards being employed, and failing to ensure a connection between Öcalan and democratic circles. Remarking that all these points raised doubts about the process and created the risk of a deadlock, Kongra Gel warned that the responsibility will belong to the AKP government in the event of the interruption of the ongoing process.

Kongra Gel remarked that the Kurdish movement and people have fulfilled their responsibilities for the accomplishment of the democratic solution process, and added that they will continue to abide by Öcalan's declaration.

Kongra Gel added that they were also prepared to give any struggle taking account of AKP government's war preparations and every possibility.

The congress also made a number of decisions for the development of Kurdish language and culture against cultural assimilation.

Kongra Gel called attention to the recently increasing attacks against Kurdish people in four parts of Kurdistan, mainly in Rojava, and agreed on multiplying self defense powers in order to guarantee the Kurdish national presence in all parts, and strengthening the educational and technical capacity to a level strong enough to respond to all kinds of attacks

One of the major decisions made at the congress has been to support the democratic autonomy being built in Rojava. Kongra Gel underlined that the Rojava revolution could become the leading power in Syria's and Middle East's democratization by being proceeded to an upper stage.

Kongra Gel remarked that the struggle of the Kurdish movement aimed to achieve freedom for not only Kurds but also all oppressed peoples, different beliefs and ethnic groups.

The congress described the Alewi community as one of the basic democracy powers in Turkey, remarking that the Kurdish movement has always supported and stood by the liberation of the Alewi community and their being granted with their own belief and culture. Kongra Gel called on the Alewi community to take part in the democracy powers within the Kurdish liberation movement.

"Kurdistan is the common land of the democratic nation of all communities including Kurds, Ezidis, Armenians, Assyrians, Arabs, Greeks Turkmens and many other ethnic and religious groups", it said and called on everyone to take part in the democracy struggle in order for the achievement of a fraternal life, a solution to the Kurdish question and Turkey's democratization.

http://en.firatajans.com/news/news/kong ... sembly.htm

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PKK replaces Murat Karayilan by Cemil Bayik

July 10, 2013

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey's Kurdish region,— Kurdish rebels have named a veteran senior militant as co-head of their political wing, replacing a relative moderate and clouding the future of a peace process with the Turkish state that has been disrupted by renewed violence.

The umbrella political group of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) publicly reaffirmed on Wednesday a commitment to ending the conflict.

But the removal of Murat Karayilan as deputy to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in favor of veteran hawk Cemil Bayik and female militant Bese Hozat as joint heads of the political wing underscored a recent faltering in the peace process.

It has lost momentum in the face of renewed PKK attacks and Turkish criticism of the pace of a rebel withdrawal from Turkey into Iraq's Kurdistan region (Southern Kurdistan) that began in May.

Bayik, a long-time senior figure in the PKK's military wing, and Hozat were promoted over Karayilan at a meeting of its executive council in northern Iraq at the start of July.

The General Assembly re-elected jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan as the President of the KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) with the majority of votes, also changing the management cadre of Kongra Gel and KCK Executive Council Presidency, switching to co-chair system.

The Assembly elected Cemil Bayık and Besê Hozat as the co-chairs of the KCK, and Hacer Zagros and Remzi Kartal as the co-chairs of the KONGRA GEL. Delegates also elected four deputy co-chairs for both organs, two female and two male, abiding by the gender equality principle of all Kurdish organizations and structures, Firat reported.

Ocalan, who launched peace talks with Ankara last year and called a ceasefire in March, remains the overall head despite being imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999.

The PKK council pledged in a statement to pursue peace efforts "despite the negative stance of the government ... We call on everyone to take part in the democratic struggle so that all can live together fraternally on the basis of a solution to the Kurdish problem and Turkey's democratization".

Karayilan had been named head of the PKK military wing (HPG). "Murat Karayılan,www.ekurd.net the former leader of the KCK Executive Council Presidency, has been appointed as the new leader of People’s Defense Forces (HPG)." Firat quoted

The decisions were taken at a six-day "general meeting" of the PKK umbrella group on northern Iraq's Kurdistan Qandil mountain. Some 162 delegates from Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran took part.

Pro-Kurdish politicians are pressing the government to make good on reforms pledged under the peace process to improve the rights of Kurds, who comprise 22.5 million of Turkey's 76 million population, and they launched a summer of protests in June.

A Kurdish youth was shot dead in a protest against the construction of a military outpost in the Kurdish southeast of Turkey (Northern Kurdistan) on June 28.

Concerns about the process rose further last week when PKK fighters attacked two military outposts in the southeast, breaking a three-month-old truce. But Turkish officials denied militant reports that a Turkish soldier had been killed.

Separately, a legal Kurdish political grouping on Wednesday called on the justice ministry to send to Imrali island an independent committee of doctors to assess the health of Ocalan, who has long suffered from an eye ailment.

Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a Kurdish state in the south east of the country. By 2013 more than 45,000 people have since been killed.

But now its aim is the creation an autonomous region and more cultural rights for ethnic Kurds who constitute the greatest minority in Turkey, its goal to political autonomy. A large Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise with PKK rebels.

The PKK wants constitutional recognition for the Kurds, regional self-governance and Kurdish-language education in schools.

PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees, lifting the ban on education in Kurdish, paving the way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within Turkey, reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action against the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish constitution.

Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish language and private Kurdish language courses with the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish politicians say the measures fall short of their expectations.

The PKK is considered as 'terrorist' organization by Ankara and U.S. The PKK continues to be on the blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which overturned a decision to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its political wing on the European Union's terror list.

Top PKK commander Murat Karayılan on June 24, 2013 called on the EU to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organizations.

Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, Reuters | firatnews.com | Ekurd.net | Agencies

[Anthea]

I am still thinking about all these changes - I am going to sleep on it

I am not happy at Murat Karayilan's removal - I have always thought that he should be the leader because he is much more of a politician than most of the leaders - including Ocalan

My thoughts on Ocalan are simple - Kurds do neither themselves or Ocalan any favours by taking any notice of what he tells them - Kurds are not just allowing Ocalan to be made use of - they are positively demanding it - they are so stupid that they really do not appear to understand what is going on

I have always been a great supporter and admirer of Remzi Kartal - he has a good heart and a quick brain

I think that the Kurds have dug themselves a pit and fallen into it

[Anthea]

I slept on it and I am still no happier with the changes at the top of PKK

Murat Karayilan should have been acknowledged overall leader of PKK in all its' assorted names - he is a good man

I believe that the party is struggling - it has been run by a committee of 3 men and 2 women for some time - the system was working well until they decided to follow Ocalan on a road to total oblivion

I am not happy with the way Ocalan has been made use of - the PKK is now being torn due to Turkey's use of Ocalan - it has gone downhill ever since Ocalan declared that the PKK should no longer struggle for an independent Kurdistan - worst move they ever made

The days when there were 60,000 or more freedom fighters and a vast trustworthy network of supporters is long since over - now whereas the people at the top of the party remain trustworthy - the people at the bottom who physically give up everything to work, fight and die for freedom are trustworthy - but it the middle there are some real SHITS who only care about themselves - rather like the members of the BDP