QERS - Qers, where Abdullah Ocalan started his Eastern tour in 1976, became the first stop of the Great Freedom March after 48 years. Ömer Ocalan, one of the marchers, said, "If only Qers Castle had a tongue, it could tell how the Kurds sprouted with the seeds of freedom sown that day."

 

The first meeting of PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan's Eastern tour, which included several cities in 1976, was held in Qers Castle with the participation of 40 people. Many people living in Qers and Erdexan attended the meeting held after days of preparations and listened to Ocalan. After this meeting, Ocalan held a public meeting in Dîgor district, and then went to Bazîd (East Beyazıt) district of Agirî.

 

A witness describes those days as follows: “The friends took him to Selim Hotel. They go to the castle in the morning and hold a meeting with 40 people there. Many important people such as Akif Yılmaz also attend that meeting. Immediately after that meeting, they move on to Digor. They are meeting in the meadow there. That night they stay in a student house in Digor. He stays there for two days. They say that Digor cannot develop urbanly due to its location. He explains that Digor should be moved to the hill area. There he says, 'One day these mountains will be free.' Then he moved on to Bazîd.  After Haki Karer was shot, the tour ended there."

 

EVERYWHERE HE COMES, A GREAT LOYALTY SPRINGS '

 

Describing what was said at the meeting in Qers, the witness said: “There were many Kurdi political structure at that time. He actually brought representatives of many of them together at that meeting. We later learned that all these Kurdi structures that attended the meeting included their representatives in the national liberation movement. In other words, he organized the people to a very significant extent wherever he went during his eastern tour. The reason why the cities and districts we are talking about today are so connected is the seed planted by Mr. Ocalan at that time. Imagine, even those from MHP in Digor took part in the movement after a while. Everywhere he went, there was a great organization and turnaround. The places where his feet touch continue to be the places where the seeds of great devotion are planted. At that meeting, guards are posted at the entrances of the castle and security is ensured in this way. There are rows of stones there, he sat on them and made a speech.”

 

THE SAME FEELING AT QERS CASTLE AFTER 48 YEARS…

 

For Ocalan, who expressed the Kurds’ demands for freedom and laid the foundations of the national liberation struggle at the meeting held 48 years ago, the "Great Freedom March" was started in the same city today, demanding "freedom for Ocalan, solution to the Kurdish issue".

 

People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Riha Deputy Omer Ocalan, his nephew and one of the names in the march, told how the seeds of freedom planted by PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan that day grew into fruition.

 

Omer Ocalan, who was filled with intense emotions by standing in the Qers Castle and remembering that day, said: “It is impossible not to get emotional here. The Kurds, who were under oppression, faced massacres many times. The children of this people came together against oppression and talked about what they could do. They were not many in number, they did not have a large tribe. They were not the children of the lords, they were the children of this people. Yes, we are at the foot of Qers Castle. Everyone is talking about a history here. When Mr. Ocalan came to travel around Serhad Kurdistan, he held meetings with many people in this castle. He convinced many people here to expand the struggle. Many years have passed, the Kurds, who were about to disappear in the past, have reached millions today.”

 

'THE SPRINGS OF A WILL WERE PLANNED HERE'

 

Stating that the Kurds have come to this day with a great resistance from those days, Ocalan said: “The shoots of a will were planted here. Mr. Ocalan, who made this, is now facing an absolute isolation. We started an action led by DEM Party to break this isolation. What we want is not to provide privileges, but to recognize existing rights. We say that Kurds have the right to live in Kurdistan. Mr. Ocalan, as a people's leader, has the right to come together with his people. There has been no news for 35 months. Great prices were paid. The reason why the state has made the isolation worse is that it knows what a spark from there will cause. The voice of the Kurds is in Imralı. If a voice comes from Imralı, democratic politics will breathe and all Kurds will be morale and motivated. The Kurds demand that Mr. Ocalan remain free to play his own role and mission.”

 

QERS CASTLE WITNESSES UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS THIS STRUGGLE GROWED'

 

Emphasizing that the Kurds have experienced great suffering throughout the century, but they have not given up the struggle, Ocalan added: “A century of suffering is behind us. We must not let another century pass in pain. We want to live together and freely in these lands. Every people has leaders, and the Kurds see Mr. Ocalan as their leader. They want the Kurdish issue to be resolved democratically. The state, on the other hand, wants to suffocate the Kurds in the person of Imrali. History and Qers Castle bear witness to the conditions under which this struggle grew. They started in Ankara, continued their journey in this castle, went to Dîgor and Bazîd and talked for hours and convinced many people. The trip of Mr. Ocalan and his friends is cut short because paramilitary forces martyred Haki Karer in Dîlok. A revolutionary mentality was created in all the cities Mr. Ocalan visited. The first seeds of the freedom struggle were sown here. Qers are a patriotic people. Many peoples live together here. These peoples must play their roles and missions in this process. Right next to us is Akif Yılmaz's hometown, Erdexan. Since the struggle began, they sacrificed their most valuable possessions, their lives. History tells us this. If this castle had a tongue, it would tell the history of Kurdistan."

 

'THE NEW LIFE IS HIDDEN IN OCALAN'S PARADIGM'

 

Stating that they will demand Ocalan's freedom along the way with the Great Freedom March they started, Ocalan said: "Those who say 'Imaginary Kurdistan is enthralled here', ‘We finished off the Kurds in Mount Agirî’ must look at how millions of people claim their will. We will hold a march for Mr. Ocalan's physical freedom between 1-15 February. In this respect, it was important that this march started from Qers. We will go to Dîgor, Tuzluca, Îdir and our journey is long. This people will protect their will. We say this easily; What we want are legitimate things. Together we can create a democratic system. The new life that the Middle East seeks is hidden in Mr. Ocalan's paradigm. We need to reveal this now. It is time for us to implement Democratic Modernity in Kurdistan and the entire Middle East. Only in this way can we stop the bloodshed that has been shed for decades.”

 

  MA / Adnan Bilen – Emrullah Acar