Reflections on the Announced Dissolution of the PKK from the Perspective of a Former Member
By: Aras (Pseudonym of a former member of PJAK and PKK)
From an external viewpoint, the media and some sources close to the “Kurdistan Workers’ Party” (PKK) might interpret its announced dissolution as the end of decades of violence, armed conflict, and fruitless strife. However, for those of us who have lived within this destructive machinery for years, this end is not only insincere but also a re-production of deception, this time cloaked in the guise of peace and dissolution. In this note, I intend to address the news of the PKK’s dissolution, its effects on the Kurdish issue in Turkey, and the history of the PKK over its approximately five decades of activity.
1. End of Violence or Restructuring of Formations?
Decades of armed struggle that began with the slogan of “achieving Kurdish rights” ultimately led to what concrete achievements for the Kurdish people in Turkey? Were the thousands of deaths on both sides, the destruction of cities, forced displacement, child soldiers, and the devastation of educational and economic infrastructure in Kurdish regions all just to reach a hidden political agreement or a symbolic announcement of dissolution? Is giving Turkey a pretext for the de facto occupation of some northern Iraqi regions considered a victory? Were the PKK’s initial goals achieved? The announcement of the PKK’s dissolution comes at a time when not only has legal and criminal responsibility for past crimes not been accepted, but the group’s command and control structure is still active. Key figures remain at the head of an organization known as the “KCK” (Kurdistan Communities Union), an umbrella group whose subsidiaries, such as PJAK, PYD, YPG, and other cover names, directly receive their orders from it. What will become of PJAK? Will it be dissolved, or will the sounds of the PKK’s fragmentation and the discord between its Iranian branch and the top of its hierarchy become audible?
History does not forget that Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the PKK, was not captured by Turkey but through an intelligence operation by Western and Israeli organizations on Kenyan soil and handed over to Turkey. Later, from 2003 onwards, the United States effectively became the stage manager of this network, and the PKK transformed from a “terrorist” group into a “geopolitical card” in the Middle East. Are we now to believe that the end of this era has come suddenly and without new security and political motivations? Will the victims of these years be forgotten? Will Öcalan answer for the hundreds killed within the PKK’s structure, the thousands of victims whose bodies and burial places remain unknown? What has been the real outcome of decades of war? Has Turkey become more democratic, has Syria been liberated, or have the problems of Iran’s border regions been resolved? The PKK’s presence in Qandil has effectively led to Turkey’s (aggression/violation) of Iraqi territory and the undermining of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s limited autonomy. Surprisingly, while the PKK aspired to independence, it opposed Masoud Barzani’s referendum for Kurdish independence! It is clear that the disagreement was over the division of spoils and wealth.
2. The United States’ Role in Guiding the PKK’s Image Change Project
I, “Aras,” am a former member of PJAK. I was present at its internal congresses from the very beginning of PJAK’s establishment and experienced the mission of transferring to Syria under the direct orders of the PKK and the supervision of the KCK. After the September 11th attacks, the PKK, concerned about the global wave of the fight against terrorism, began to change its name. It first changed to “KADEK” (Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress) and then to the “Kongra-Gel” (People’s Congress of Kurdistan). However, the structure, leadership, ideology, and goals remained the same. In late 2003, at a meeting in Qandil, US Senator Kenneth Timmerman, in the presence of Biryar Gabar and several central cadres, proposed the establishment of PKK branches in Iran, Iraq, and Syria. He explicitly stated: “To preserve Israel, the Middle East must be fragmented; and you can be an effective pawn in this project.” At the same time, PJAK, the Democratic Union Party of Syria (PYD), and other parallel parties took shape with financial, logistical, and political support from the United States. The interesting point was that the PKK and Öcalan deceived young people with the slogan of fighting imperialism and capitalism and supporting leftist ideas, while simultaneously negotiating with the United States and becoming Israel’s proxy! In the past approximately two years, Öcalan has issued statements on everything, and the PKK also has dozens of media outlets, but none of them have mentioned Israel’s crimes in Gaza. However, they expressed readiness and engaged in field activities for the fragmentation of the Middle East and to become Israel’s playing card.
Our members, including myself, witnessed close relations with American forces in Syria. From the provision of weapons and training to the direction of operations, everything was under the guise of fighting ISIS, but in reality, it was to create proxy structures that could shift the balance of power in the region in Washington’s favor. All of this was happening while the PKK was and still is on the US list of terrorist organizations! This very cooperation between the US and the PKK, and the US support for PKK branches, demonstrates the double standards of both the PKK and the United States! Even now, the PKK is more active in countries that have good relations with Turkey and have classified the PKK as a terrorist group!
3. International Responsibility and the Demand for Justice for Victims
If the dissolution of the PKK is real, the big question is: what is the fate of its affiliated branches? PJAK, PYD, YPG, and dozens of other titles that follow the exact same leadership and ideology – why are they still active? Will the world accept that the crimes of this group, from the abduction of children to terrorist operations in civilian areas, go unpunished?
According to the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the rules of international humanitarian law, individuals who participated in widespread, targeted, and systematic operations against civilians must be prosecuted, whether under the guise of a party or in a new guise. Just as Saddam Hussein was tried for using chemical weapons against the Kurds, the PKK leadership must also be held accountable for policies that sent young people to their deaths while they themselves profited from it. No one really knows what happened to the likes of Ali Haydar Kaytan and Rıza Altun. Years after their disappearance, they are simply announced as “killed.” Isn’t this how they treat their own long-serving leaders? So, what can be expected of their treatment of ordinary members? What happens to the hundreds of girls killed in the PKK? Where are they buried? Didn’t they join the PKK to establish Greater Kurdistan? So why did Öcalan betray all of them? Are Öcalan’s words today believable, or were his slogans of yesterday?
4. A Burnt Card, Silent Victims
Ultimately, it must be said that the PKK, with all its names and guises, has for years been a playing card in the hands of regional and global powers. This game is sometimes played under the guise of fighting ISIS, sometimes with the slogan of democracy, and sometimes in the name of defending the Kurds, but its constant victims are the girls and boys who thought there was a future in armed struggle under a terrorist group. The reality, however, is that none of them, even those who joined willingly, were allowed to leave. Their future was sold, and their voices were silenced. If they protested, they were killed! Anyone who criticized the PKK was accused of treason and being a collaborator! What title should now be chosen for Öcalan and the main cadres of the PKK?! If the symbolic dissolution of the PKK is sincere, it must be accompanied by the real dissolution of all its branches, the provision of a report on the fate of the killed members, and the fair trial of senior commanders and their international supporters. Otherwise, this news will only be a new chapter in a grand lie.
