The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) strongly condemns the newly intensified cross-border offensive of Turkish armed forces against the Kurds.

While the international news is dominated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we must not ignore the ongoing aggression against the Kurds by NATO member, Turkey, with their latest offense taking place in Southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). The Turkish military is also stepping up its attack on the liberated territories of Rojava (north-eastern Syria).

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the increasingly authoritarian Turkish president who hypocritically pretended to be a “peacemaker” in the Ukraine war has ordered the latest round of cross-border attacks which took effect on 17th April 2022, targeting areas controlled by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). One of Erdoğan’s plans is to take over territories controlled by the PKK and establish more military bases there, with dozens of them already currently in place. Parallel to the Turkish invasion of Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq), the Turkish military continues to deploy drones to attack and kill people in Rojava (Northeastern Syria).

Domestically, the Erdoğan regime is pursuing systematic repression against the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Since 2016, over 10,000 HDP members have been arrested on all kinds of trumped-up charges – with over 4,000 of them still incarcerated, including members of parliament and democratically-elected mayors.

Hence, PSM calls for the following:

• Turkey must immediately cease its military aggression on Southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) and withdraw all its troops from the region.

• Renewal of negotiations, of which the PKK has previously shown their readiness to engage in such negotiations in order to find a sustainable and just solution to restore peace in the Kurdistan region.

• Recognition of the democratic right to self-determination of the Kurds and all nationals in the Kurdistan region, as the basis for a political solution to the “Kurdish Question”.

• Free all political prisoners in Turkey.

• Stop the repression of pro-Kurdish political movements in Turkey.

Choo Chon Kai
Central Committee Member
Socialist Party of Malaysia / Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)