15th of Feb 1999 is known as a black day among the Kurds. It is a day where super powers kidnapped Kurdish national leader Öcalan in Nairobi and handed him back to the Turkey. Hundreds of Kurds in protest of the Intergovernmental conspiracy set fire on their body all over world. Kurds will never forget 15th of Feb 1999.
PPK’s struggle lead by the Kurdish National Leader Abdullah Öcalan is considered one of the most significant Kurdish national movements in Kurdish history. PKK’ impact is not just restricted to the Kurdish people, rather it has great impact on whole Middle Eastern people. An organized regional and Intergovernmental conspiracy against PKK movement was evident from the early days of the PPK’s foundation. As a result, PKK declared its existence in response of the conspiracy and martyr of one of its founder Haki Karer.
Until late 1990 Turkish government used all the available brutal means against the Kurdish movement to annihilate it, once Turkish government realised that it cannot annihilate PKK unilaterally, sought support from the super powers particularly USA. Even though the USA from the early 1980s as a part of NATO cooperation scheme actively involved in Turkish oppression and war against Kurdish people and PKK movement, Turkey during 1990s asked USA government to to take active steps to marginalise Kurdish national leader Abdullah Öcalan. As a part of Turkish new strategy against Kurdish movement from 1996 until late 1998 Kurdish National leader was identified as the prime target. Turkish officials believed that annihilation of the PKK will be achieved once they manage to marginalize its leader or annihilate him. Öcalan posses very strong skills and has strong personality which give him such power to recrute Caderas in all circumstances.
On 6th Golan 1996 Turkish government had attempted to assassinate Öcalan in Syria. However the Turkish attempt to assassinate Öcalan was failed without any human casualties. The assassination attempt was a clear signal that the Turkish government with all available means pursuing its new strategy. After the assassination attempt a military cooperation between Turkey and Israel was signed and part of the cooperation was relevant to the Kurdish issue and fight against PKK.
Within that context the Turkish and its allies pressures on Syrian regime was intensified. On 16th of September 1998 Turkish Military Cheif Atilla Ateş in a statement claimed that if Syrian regime do not expel Öcalan from Syria, Turkey will lead a military campaign against Syrian State. Turkish military threat against Syria was coincided with the PPK’s third unilateral ceasefire. On 1st of September of 1998 PKK announced its third unilateral ceasefire with the aim to achieve a peaceful and democratic solution with Turkey. In late 1998 Turkish Army with US and UK military forces started military manoeuver in order to intensify pressures on Syrian regime and it was viewed as real threat against Syrian regime. During same period, Turkish and Syrian diplomatic traffic was at its highest peak, later it was found out that the diplomatic traffic between two states was mostly related to the expelsion of the Kurdish national leader from Syria. Kurdish Nationa Leader Öcalan in order to prevent bloody war between two states decided to leave Syria and on 9th of October 1998 moved to Greece. Even though Greece had made some commitment to be involved in peaceful solution of the Kurdish question and provide refuge to the Kurdish leader, once Öcalan arrived, Greek officials breached their promise, as a result Öcalan was compelled to leave Greece and head toward Russia and from Russia he headed back to Roma, Italy. Once the Kjurdish in dispora founded that Öcalan has arrived Roma, thousands of people from all over the Europe moved to Rome to stay beside their leader and protest European policies against Kurdish people and Kurdish national leader. The protest movement which began from Rome is very well know in Kurdish history and it is one of the remarkable dates in Kurdish national history. Appraently Italian Prime Minster has made great efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question, however, under the pressure of the US, UK and Tutkish government ultimately he failed too, as a result Öcalan left Rome to Russia and ultimately he came back to Greece. Greek officials proposed to Öcalan that they will help him to go to South Africa, however, again they breached their second promise which as a result of the general conspiracy articulated by the Super powers Öcalan was kidnapped by Mossad and CIA on 15th of Feb 1999 in Nairobi and later on that day he was handed back to the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı, MIT).
As a result of the conspiracy against Kurdish national leader, Kurds all over the world and in all parts of Kurdistan lead remarkable protest against the kidnapping of Öcalan. Madeleine Albright (United States Secretary of State, 1997–2001) in an official statement stated that they have underestimated Öcalan’s popularity among the Kurdish people.
From 9th October 1998 to 15th Feb 1999 dozens of Kurdish activists all over the world set a fire on their fire in protest of the Intergovernmental conspiracy against Öcalan. While their body was burning they were saying to the Super powers that you cannot prevent us from the light of the Sun. The protest was continued up to the time when Öcalan send a message from the Imrali Island and asked people to stop setting fire on themselves.
Contrary to what Turkish government and its allies were expecting once they kidnapped Öcalan, Öcalan was much more determined about the Kurdish question and despite all pressures he experienced inside the prison he managed to resist all the plans and the goals of the Intergovernmental conspiracy against him and Kurdish people. In his defence statements Öcalan had precisely explained all aspects and black dimensions of the conspiracy and stated that the conspiracy is aimed to inflame an endless between Kurds and Turks and in order to dispense occurrence of such a bloody war, a peaceful approach must be adopted with the aim to democratize Turkish state and gain Kurdish rights within that democratic state. Upon a demand of Öcalan, PKK had announced a unliateral ceasefire several times. A part from his defence statatments which are published in the from of books, such as Democratic Manifesto, Protection of a Nation and so on, Öcalan produced his roadmap strategy in 2010. Öcalan was appointed as one of the 100 most influencial persons by Time magazine in 2013.
It is undeniable that the Intergovernmental conspiracy of 15th of Feb 1999 was a plan to annihilate Kurdish movement and Kurdish identity. However, despite all the Intergovernmental efforts to annihilate Kurdish identity, Kurds had managed to overgo the plan and contrary to the aim of the conspiracy, Kurds are much more stronger than it was before, Kurdish movement is playing very active and important role in the regions politics and Kurdish national leader is alive. Since then Kurds have managed to bring Kurdish question within the Intergovernmental politics as a matter fact which is undeniable and without solution to the Kurdish question, Middle East cannot be democratized.
Today is the 16th anniversary of the Intergovernmental conspiracy against Kurdish people and Kurdish national leader which the Kurds clearly saying that they would not accept any thing less than the democratic solution of their cause and the freedom of their leader Öcalan.
Author: Şiwan Merîwanî
Publisher: Rojhelat.info