It is well known that, up to now, we have not truly understood love, nor have we genuinely lived it. Even in Mem and Zîn by Ahmedê Xanî, the traditional limits of love were never fully surpassed.

There are words spoken in the name of love, yet in the end we encounter a Zîn who cannot fully express herself or stand on her own feet, and a Mem who lacks even the strength to take a few steps forward. Even within this classical epic, the essence of love remains unreached.

When we look back over the past three hundred years, we see that meaningful discussion of love has almost disappeared altogether. Hardly anyone can write or speak something truly significant about a beautiful and genuine love. What matters here is not whether we have created love or failed to create it. What matters is that we possess a vision and a practice. We want to realize this together with women. Whatever name others choose to give it is of little importance.

I have put myself forward in this struggle. Our comrades, the women who have influenced us and whom we have influenced, are also part of this endeavor. Certainly, they may expect more from me than what has been achieved so far, yet this is the level we have reached. I wanted to become the kind of human being that conscious women wish to see, the kind of man they aspire to encounter, and I wanted to express this openly.

One of the concepts I used most frequently this year was “killing the man.” By this, I do not mean killing a man as a human being. I mean eliminating the model of man who dominates women, suppresses them, denies their existence, and embodies a mentality of control and oppression. Every man, especially those within our ranks, must understand this clearly.

What can be done with a man who approaches women with such a mentality? This traditional masculinity is, in itself, powerless. It cannot wage a meaningful struggle, nor can it create a healthy and principled way of life. For a Kurdish girl or a Kurdish woman whose consciousness is awakening, such a man means nothing. In the face of a personality growing and developing like Zîlan, traditional masculinity becomes entirely worthless.

Everyone must understand that the era of approaching women through crude and purely sexual impulses has come to an end. It must be recognized that woman represents life, action, and creativity. Therefore, opening oneself to the values of freedom and equality and striving to embody them is essential. Without this, genuine encounter and genuine dialogue with women are impossible.

If there is respect, maturity, and determination, and if men can fulfill the responsibilities that these require, only then can they truly come to understand women. Some may ask: why do women form such deep bonds? Many men feel jealousy about this. For me, however, there is nothing problematic about such profound commitments.

Women cannot be won through wealth, status, social position, or displays of power, as is often the case in society. The path to winning a woman is the path that Zîlan herself valued and embodied through her life.

If you look carefully at this woman comrade, you will see that I had no personal acquaintance with her. Yet she was able to demonstrate one of the deepest forms of loyalty and commitment. This is an extremely important point. It raises a fundamental question: What kind of man should a man be for a woman?

When a man possesses the qualities a woman deserves, a genuine bond can emerge. But the issue is not merely forming a bond; it is also about creating heroism, commitment, and great values. If this reality is not understood, one can hardly claim to be a man in the true sense of the word.

Perhaps in other environments such a title is granted easily. But within our reality—and I hope this becomes the reality of our entire people—respect can only be given to personalities that embody these values.

Yet even this is not enough. The text also reveals how important the personality of the new human being is for women. If a person has conscience and even a little moral strength, they should ask themselves: Why should a woman always be expected to conform to my commands and expectations? Why should I not strive to become the kind of person that a woman deserves?

Indeed, this question should become even more urgent: Why should a woman shape herself according to you in every respect? Why should she revolve solely around you? Is it because of your money, your property, or your possessions? Or is it because of your ability to exercise crude power?

Clearly, genuine love cannot be built on such foundations. Personalities of this kind seek to bind women to themselves through domination and submission for centuries. Yet a great rebellion has arisen against this mentality.

I respect this rebellion, and I am proud to play a leading role in it. Leading women of this kind gives me great strength. There is nothing shameful about living and struggling alongside them. On the contrary, I am proud to be among the strongest supporters of women’s organization and empowerment.

Why should supporting such heroic women be viewed negatively or dismissed? Each of these women reaches a remarkable level of heroism. If some people feel jealous because these women are not their wives, that is another matter entirely.

Men should be courageous as well. They should develop the kind of character that women wish to see. Then these women can become their comrades and companions in struggle. But if they cannot demonstrate such strength and character, they will not be able to establish a genuine relationship with women in this country.

For this reason, I will make even greater use of my strength. I am a person of resistance and accountability. One cannot refuse to defend one’s country, do nothing for freedom, fail to connect words with practice, and then say, “I want a woman; I want life.” That is unacceptable.

This truth became embodied in the personality of Zîlan. Everyone within our party ranks, in particular, should know that these words were not spoken lightly.

If necessary, I will strive to create a model of manhood with which all women can freely and willingly connect. I will work to ensure that women become spiritually strong enough that they feel dependent on no man. This is the kind of person I am trying to become.

Women welcome this with great enthusiasm. Yet this alone is not sufficient. What is truly desired is for all our men to represent, within their own personalities, the thoughts and feelings of their women comrades in a correct and meaningful way.

Most importantly, there can be no meaningful life without a homeland, without freedom, without struggle, and without success. For that reason, there can be no true womanhood either. Unless this reality is understood, it is impossible to understand Zîlan as a free and militant woman.

I ask all of our men and comrades within the party: Is there anyone who truly wants to live together with women? If only you could genuinely love a woman. If only you possessed enough heart and conscience to make your own personality more alive and authentic. What I seek is to open the path toward this understanding. Instead of repeating superficial words here and there, and instead of making various judgments about us, what needs to be understood is the path itself.

A woman is a life that should be lived together with honor, dignity, and great values. I want to give meaning to this understanding. Can there be a greater support for life than this? These are the feelings and thoughts I wanted to express.

We do not praise ourselves because of the victories we have achieved on the battlefield. In truth, war often fills us with sorrow. We never took up arms because we enjoyed war or sought violence for its own sake. We do not find happiness in the death of soldiers or traitors. We fight because they stand as obstacles before life itself and because they seek to destroy us step by step. Were it not for this reality, we would not wage war.

In fact, if there is anyone in this world who finds war deeply difficult, I believe it is me. Yet no other path has been left open to life. That is why I call out every day, saying: “Let us discuss and solve the problems of this people through humane methods—without destruction, without oppression, and without killing.” But they refuse. Their consciences are closed. They do not even wish to understand the rights of peoples or the hopes of those who live under oppression.

Under slogans such as “national unity” and “national integrity,” they seek to erase entire peoples and exclude human beings from life itself. They regard this as honor. We know this kind of “honor” very well. History is filled with examples of it.

We wage this struggle to protect ourselves from unjust, oppressive, and blind forces whose purpose is destruction and annihilation. Yet our fundamental struggle is not merely a military one. The struggle to give meaning to life is at least as important as the battlefield itself.

We believe that a life worthy of acceptance, love, and respect can only emerge through a higher level of relationship between women and men. I strive to advance a vision of women as individuals capable of making their own decisions, engaging in discussion, thinking independently, and reaching profound depths of meaning and feeling, just as we see in the personality of Zîlan.

For this reason, I work to do whatever is necessary. I believe this is the correct path. For our society in particular, it is among the most sacred responsibilities that must be fulfilled.

I want to state clearly to our respected people and to our friends who seek a deeper understanding of life within the party that, even if this path is difficult—perhaps even more difficult than war itself—I am compelled to open the way toward a new life. Religion, morality, or tradition may say otherwise. Yet these are not decisive for me. Our homeland, our life, women, and men alike have all been lost.

I am not here to continue a cheap and easy life. As I have stated before, I am committed to the principle that great aspirations require a great life. Whatever this principle demands must be done.

No religious institution has demonstrated a struggle of this magnitude. Yet a young woman within the ranks of the PKK has shown such strength. It is impossible to find this level of love and conscience within conventional moral systems or traditions. It finds its expression in the ethics of freedom and in the goals of liberation.

Our dear people, our friends, and all the women and men militants within our party:

It must be understood that there is a genuine development in our understanding of life. Living correctly with women and developing insight in this area also strengthens the struggle itself. Contrary to what some believe, this does not weaken a person. Those who claim it does are mistaken.

A healthy relationship with women becomes a source of strength for the struggle. Everyone should understand that the more I have come to understand women in recent years, the more capable I have become of being a determined fighter.

The traditional man, however, often betrays the struggle when he enters a relationship with a woman. To me, this represents one of the most dishonorable forms of behavior. The same mentality can sometimes be found in women as well. Yet I would never accept any woman by my side becoming a reason to distance me from the struggle.

Zîlan herself is the clearest proof of this. To be with Zîlan means to be united with the greatest act of struggle. If you truly wish to be with women, then you must become great fighters in the spirit of Zîlan. Only then can people come together on the foundations of great patriotism and great freedom.

Likewise, if a woman wishes to be with a man, she will choose the new human being that I seek to build—a person who stands as a comrade in the spirit of Zîlan. There is no other interpretation. What we call sacred is precisely this bond, this commitment that remains alive in both heart and mind until the very end.

For this reason, I have called it the Manifesto of Life.

From now on, the relationship between women and men in this country and among this people should be shaped according to this manifesto. I want to make the value of women militants more visible. I brought courageous women before the eyes of men. When necessary, I encouraged them to become even greater fighters than men themselves and tried to raise them as far as possible. At the same time, I wanted to demonstrate the meaning of conscience and struggle through them.

I also sought to reveal the significance and value of women so that people could connect themselves to life with greater determination and purpose. The progress achieved may still be limited, but in my view it is deeply meaningful.

As many believe, such a life cannot be created without profound awareness and a great spirit. The women martyrs of the PKK advance according to this manifesto. Likewise, courageous men emerge in accordance with its principles.

I wanted to ensure the fullest realization of their success. To the extent that my strength allows, I strive to carry out everything with honesty and dedication. Yet even that may not be enough. Therefore, everyone who has pledged loyalty to the martyrs should, if possible, build their daily lives upon great commitment and meaningful action.

In my view, even an ordinary person, if they possess strong determination and serious practice, can become a representative of life itself, can become its fighter when necessary, and can help secure success.

I express these thoughts on the occasion of the first anniversary of Zîlan’s martyrdom and her great act of resistance.

Our comrade Zîlan was right in her words until the very end. Her commitment and passion for life remained sacred until the end. We have tried to continue the path she opened, and we take pride in doing so. Yet because we have not fully achieved the success she envisioned, we still face fragmentation and dangers.

Nevertheless, we continue our difficult efforts with determination. As she herself declared, success must and will be achieved. What is at stake is not only success in struggle, but success in life itself. It is within Zîlan’s manifesto that this deeper meaning finds its expression.

From this point forward, life will find its meaning through this manifesto and this pledge. Despite all our shortcomings, mistakes, and limitations, we have tried to fulfill at least some of its requirements.

I believe that from now on, as people who are more courageous, closer to truth, more conscious, more knowledgeable, and more sensitive, we will fulfill the requirements of life just as we have sought to fulfill the requirements of struggle, and we will secure success in life just as we strive to secure success in resistance.

30 July 1997