Abdullah Ocalan

Debbie Bookchin: 'Women’s movement in Bakur and Rojava has made historic advances for the rights of women'

Debbie Bookchin talks about the ideas and philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan, the libertarian model of women in Rojava and her thoughts on freedom of women on March 8 International Women's day.

Xebat Andok (Kurdistan Democratic Communities Union): On Democratic Confederalism

An extensive interview with Xebat Andok, member of the Kurdistan Democratic Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council, about the tenets of Democratic Confederalism, its practical implementation today and the solution this system represents for the problems caused by capitalist modernity.

Defending Rojava means defending Abdullah Öcalan

Öcalan’s Strategic Success on Imralı

Mahmut Şakar interviews Civaka Azad, attorney for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan's attorney. August 11, 2019 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from ANF English — On May 2, 2019, Öcalan’s lawyers had contact with their client for the first time since almost eight years. Another visit on the prison island of Imralı came to pass on May 22. Before these visits, altogether 810 requests for visit had been rejected since July 2010. With that, Öcalan holds the “European record” for confinement without access to any legal representation. The visits in May were won by a months-long hunger strike by activists and sympathizers of the Kurdish movement. The prohibition of visits that the defense team had been subjected too was lifted by a court on April 17, 2019. One month later, the Turkish Minister of Justice, Abdülhamit Gül announced that from then on, there would be no limitations for visits to Öcalan by his lawyers. In a joint declaration, Öcalan and his three fellow prisoners pointed to the urgent necessity of democratic negotiations for the solution of the conflicts in Turkey and the Middle East. The problems and wars in the region ought to be addressed not by violence, but by the “methods of democratic negotiations, beyond any polarization and culture of conflict,” Öcalan and his fellow prisoners Hamili Yıldırım, Ömer Hayri Konar and Veysel Aktaş demanded.

Geopolitics of Syrian Kurds and military cooperation with the US

Understanding Abdullah Ocalan

The Kurdish struggle – An interview with Dilar Dirik

Dilar Dirik interviewed by George Souvlis, first published at Salvage

George Souvlis: By way of introduction, could you explain what personal experiences strongly influenced you, politically and academically?

Dilar Dirik: As a Kurd, you can never run from your identity, because your identity is essentially political and the level of your political consciousness acts as a self-defense as the only way to secure your survival and existence. That is why insistence on the free expression of your self-determined identity is portrayed as political controversy, nationalism, or terrorism by the capitalist-statist system.

Women’s cooperatives: A glimpse into Rojava’s economic model