VAN - The biggest condemnation against the international conspiracy against PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan was the "You Can't Darken Our Sun" protests. While dozens of people lost their lives, the protests were not limited to prisons and cities.
The international conspiracy, which started with the expulsion of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan from Syria on October 9, 1998, and continued when he was brought to Turkey on February 15, 1999, left behind 24 years. After Öcalan was brought to Turkey, he was put in the İmralı Type F Closed Prison. Öcalan, who was held in aggravated isolation, pointed to NATO in the conspiracy against him, in his evaluations and lawyer meetings on different dates, and said that the conspiracy aimed to "create a PKK without Apo, a Kurd without a PKK".
'YOU CAN'T DARKEN OUR SUN'
The conspiracy against Öcalan was met with great reaction from the Kurds and their Kurdish friends from the first day it was started. While protests started on the streets in many countries during the beginning of the conspiracy, the actions carried out with the slogan "You cannot darken our sun" left their mark on history. Mehmet Halit Oral, who set his body on fire in the Maraş Prison, where he was detained on the night of October 9, 1998, became the symbolic name of the action in question.
ACTIONS WERE SPREAD
After the action of Oral, the "You Can't Darken Our Sun" protests was spread. More than 100 people set their bodies on fire in protests that started from prisons and spread to the outside. Murat Kaya, who was held in Bartın prison on October 18, 1998 after the action of Halit Oral, set fire to the bodies of Mehmet Gül, who was held in Amasya prison on October 19, 1998.
Ali Aydın also carried out a similar action in Bartın Prison, where he was detained on October 21, 1998, behind him, and left the letter as following: "Sir, I would love to see you but there are people who do not allow me to see you. I will remove these obstacles for him. Just like Sema, like Fikri. Like Murat Kaya, like comrades M. Halit Oral and Mehmet Gül, I will sacrifice myself. And my hatred for the enemy was growing. I see the resistance of the Kurdish people and the greatness of the PKK. Long live our Supreme Leader. President APO!" .
The actions did not end after that. Mehmet Aydın set his body on fire on November 13, 1998 in the prison where he was held in Çanakkale. In the letter he left afterward, Aydın emphasized that the conspiracy was made against all Kurds and the oppressed in the person of Öcalan.
MESSAGE OF ÖCALAN ON THE ACTIONS
63 people, including 11-year-old Zehra Çelik, set his body on fire in the first week of Öcalan's arrival in Turkey. Öcalan stepped in when the protests spread. Öcalan gave the following message regarding the protests on November 19, 1998: "In recent days, the self-immolation actions have continued, many of our dear friends set their bodies on fire. Especially because of this action in Rome, which showed all kinds of warmth to our people, I call again that I want the actions that put an end to his life absolutely and immediately to an end. I salute the devotion and valor with all my heart, but I state as an instruction that those who are truly committed to us should never resort to such acts of self-immolation from now on, and that these actions should be stopped immediately."
VIYAN SORAN
After the message of Öcalan, the protests stopped for a long time; owever, anger against the conspiracy continued with various actions. Conspiracy, isolation and practices against Öcalan caused the "You Can't Darken Our Sun" protests resume after a while. Fatoş Sağlamgöz set the body on fire in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 11 November 2003 against the conspiracy.
The actions were not limited to prisons and cities. Viyan Soran (Leyla Walî Hesen), who became symbolized with this action, set her body on fire on February 2, 2006 in Heftanîn.
In 2007, the reaction grew after the news that "Öcalan was poisoned". On July 18, 2011, 18-year-old Evrim Demir set her body on fire in Muş Bulanık. On the night of February 15, 2018, 21-year-old Nazelin Korkut carried out a similar action in Izmir Konak.
ÖCALAN'S ASSESSMENT
Actions against the conspiracy continued in the following years. In his meeting with his lawyers on February 15, 2010, Öcalan mentioned the burning himself of Ebu Müslüm Doğan, an 18-year-old Malatya student, a student of Adıyaman Science High School. Öcalan said: "I want to say something about Ebu Müslüm Doğan, the young friend from Malatya who burned himself. I have criticized Malatya to protect their rights of being Kurdish in the past, I have criticized about the subject harshly; however, I want to make a new assessment in the person of Zeynep Kınacı with this young friend. These are the honor of Malatya about being Kurdish. I feel lame and very responsible in the presence of these friends. I also listened to the voice of Zeynep Kınacı in the past. I think a monument of him should be built in Malatya for these friends. Malatya Kurds should keep the great personality of these friends and the memory of these friends alive."
PEOPLE SET THEIR BODIES ON FIRE AGAINST THE ISOLATION
In the following processes, many similar actions were taken against conspiracy and isolation. Bubo Taş and Mehmet Akar set their bodies on fire after no news was heard from Öcalan for more than 22 months. Bubo Taş stated that he set his body on fire in the Artuklu district of Merdîn on January 12, and in the video he took before the action, he set his body on fire against the isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Mehmet Akar, son of Hacire Akar, who was sitting in front of the HDP building with the claim that her child was kidnapped to the mountain, set his body on fire against the isolation in Sur district of Diyarbakır. In the letter he left behind, Akar said: "The light of the fire that ignites my body illuminate Imrali. My hope is that this action will lead to the physical freedom of Leader Apo."
THOSE WHO LOSE LIVES
* Mehmet Halit Oral: October 9, 1998 - Maraş Prison
* Mehmet Gül: He set his body on fire in the prison in Manisa on October 19, 1998. He died on October 27, 1998.
* Bülent Bayram: October 21, 1998 - Adıyaman Prison
* Ali Aydın: October 21, 1998 - Bartın Prison
* Hasan Isa Hasan: He set his body on fire in Qamishlo on October 22, 1998. He died on October 25.
* Selamet Menteş: October 23, 1998 - Midyat Prison
* Aynur Artan (Rotinda): October 23, 1998 - Midyat Prison
* Mirze Cute: October 26, 1998 - Erzurum Prison
* Berzan Öztürk (Murat): He set fire to his body in the prison in Stammheim, Germany on November 1, 1998. He died on January 4, 1999.
* Mehmet Aydın: November 13, 1998 - Çanakkale Prison
* Erdal Çeçen: November 14 1998 - Midyat Prison
* Kadri İlhan: November 16, 1998 - Siirt Prison
* Adnan Karataş: November 17, 1998 - Mardin Prison
* Ahmet Yıldırım: November 17, 1998 - Moscow
* Remzi Akkuş: November 17, 1998 - Moscow
* Emrullah Damlacı (Seyîd Bayram): November 18, 1998 - Derik
* Cemil Özalp: November 27, 1998 -Diyarbakır
* Mirza Çubukçu: He died on November 27, 1998 in Batman prison after a death fast.
* Yavuz Güzel: November 30, 1998 - Bartın Prison
* Hatice Falay: December 13, 1998 - Istanbul Bağcılar
* Taylan Özgür Kahraman: December 21, 1998 - Germany
* Kahraman Denli: On February 16, 1999, he set his body on fire on the ramparts of Amed. He died 10 days later.
* Serpiş Polat: February 17, 1999 - Sakarya Prison
* Murat Yeşilgöz: August 8, 1999 - Amasya Prison
* Yavuz Güzel: November 30, 1999 - Bartın Prison
* Hükmiye Seyhan (Ruken Beritan): December 23, 1999 - Russia
* Mahmut Yener: He set his body on fire in Diyarbakır on June 22, 2000. He died on July 8.
* Nesrin Teke: July 9, 2000 - Diyarbakır
* Esen Aslan: August 3, 2000 - İzmir
* Erdogan Kahraman (Yekta): March 28, 2004 - Qamishlo
* Serdar Ari: October 25, 2005 - Izmir
* Fatoş Sağlamgöz (Sema): November 11, 2003 - Gothenburg, Sweden
* Aynur Elder: March 30, 2006 - Antalya
* Leyla Wali Hasan (Viyan Soran): February 1, 2006 - Heftanîn
* Veysi Kaya: February 28, 2006 - Adana
* Elefteriya Fortulaki: March 24, 2006 - Athens, the capital of Greece
* Ebu Müslüm Doğan: February 15, 2010 - Adıyaman
* Mustafa Malcok: February 15, 2011 - Diyarbakır
* Evrim Demir: July 14, 2011 - Muş Bulanık
* Fırat İzgin: December 12, 2011 - Mardin Midyat
* Mehmet Şerif Sakali: June 4, 2012 - Bursa Mudanya
* Mehmet Yalçın: August 1, 2012 - Mardin Kızıltepe
* Serdal Yektaş: October 9, 2012 - Urfa
* Abdulkadir Atilla: March 11, 2012 - Adana Seyhan
* Mahsun Özen: December 22, 2012 - İzmir
* Hadika Doğru (Hêvîdar Serhed): February 15, 2016 - Kobanê
* Nazelin Korkut: February 14, 2018 - İzmir
* Ümit Acar: September 27, 2018 - Munich, Germany
* Zülküf Gezen: March 17, 2019 - Tekirdağ Prison
* Uğur Şakar: March 22, 2019 - Germany Krefeld
* Ayten Beçet: March 23, 2019 - Gebze Prison
* Zehra Sağlam: March 24, 2019 - Oltu Prison
* Medya Çınar: March 25, 2019 - Mardin Type E Prison
* Yonca Akıcı: March 29, 2019 - Şakran Prison
* Siraç High: April 2, 2019 - Osmaniye Prison
* Mahsum Pamay: April 5, 2019 - Elaziğ Prison
* Bubo Taş: January 123, 2023 - Merdîn Artuklu
* Mehmet Akar: January 16, 2023 - Diyarbakır Sur
INJURED
* Murat Kaya: October 18, 1998 - Bartın Prison
* Meral Kasoturacak: October 20, 1998 - Çanakkale Prison
* İsmet İnanç: October 22, 1998 - Yozgat Prison
* Fetah Karataş: October 22, 1998 - Diyarbakır
* Mehmet Bagiran: October 23, 1998 - Elbistan Prison
* Cennet Güneş: October 24, 1998 - Antep Prison
* Seyri İpek: October 24, 1998 - Sakarya Prison
* Aysel Ceylan: October 24, 1998 - Sakarya Prison
* Samet Okay: October 24, 1998 - Konya Prison
* Muslim Muhammet: October 26, 1998 - Antep Prison
* Kenan Karahasanoğlu: October 26, 1998 - Erzurum Prison
* Abbas Sertkaya: November 14, 1998 - Ümraniye Prison
* İsmet Akay: November 14, 1998 - Adıyaman Prison
* Muhyettin Kapak: November 15, 1998 - Diyarbakir Prison
* Ömer Şen: November 15, 1998 - Ümraniye Prison
* Adanan Özcan: November 15, 1998- Bursa Prison
* Sıracettin Precise: November 16, 1998 - Bursa Prison
* Ramazan Malkoç: November 16, 1998 - Ümraniye Prison
* Believe in Azime: November 16, 1998 - Batman Prison
* Remziye Zengin: November 16, 1998 - Batman Prison
* İdris Başaran: November 16, 1998 - Ceyhan Prison
* Hanifi Kuzu: November 16, 1998 - Siirt Prison
* Hamdullah Daşçı: November 16, 1998 - Mardin Prison
* Ali Erbek: November 16, 1998 - Mardin Prison
* Mustafa Şahin: November 16, 1998- Germany
* Mehmet Turgay: November 17, 1998 - Konya Prison
* Zeyni Arap: November 17, 1998 - Antep Prison
* Ramazan Adıbelli: November 17, 1998 - Konya Prison
* Süleyman Gültekin: November 18, 1998 - Trabzon Prison
* Seyit Bayram: November 18, 1998 - Derik
* Zülkif Yılmaz: November 18, 1998 - Rome
* Fethiye Abdullah: November 18, 1998 - Malatya Prison
* Osman Tinit: November 18, 1998 - Malatya Prison
* Fazil Leech: November 19, 1998 - Antep Prison
* Halil Akıncı: November 19, 1998 - Bursa Prison
* Cengiz Kaya: November 19, 1998 - Ağrı Prison
* Zehra Rızgar: November 27, 1998 - Iran
* Nuri Acar: November 27, 1998 - Ordu Prison
* Cemil Özalp: November 27, 1998 - Diyarbakır
* Mirza Çubukçu: November 27, 1998 - Batman Prison
* Hasan Taşkın: December 3, 1998 - Germany
* Cihat Shexo: December 10, 1998 - Cyprus
* Takibe Gültekin: December 12, 1998 - Sivas Prison
* Gulistan Tas: December 16, 1998 - Batman
* Muyettin Işık: December 24, 1998 - Antep
* Mazlum Öncel: February 16, 1999 - Diyarbakır Prison
* Ramazan Atabay: January 5, 1999- Siirt Prison
* Bilal Ekinci: February 16, 1999 - Diyarbakır
* Arzu Demiralp: February 16, 1999 - Batman Prison
* Yahya Figan: February 16, 1999 - Ümraniye Prison
* Nurhak Polat: February 16, 1999 - Ümraniye Prison
* Bayram Kaymaz: February 16, 1999 - Nazilli Prison
* Veysel Çınar: February 17, 1999 - Ümraniye Prison
* Hüseyin Çığ: February 18, 1999 - Maraş Prison
* Murat Coşkun: February 18, 1999 - Ceyhan Prison
* Ahmet Tep: February 18, 1999 - Adıyaman Prison
* Bengin Kurt: February 19, 1999 - Ceyhan Prison
* Çiğdem Duman: February 22, 1999 - Elbistan Prison
* Piro Ecer: February 22, 1999 - Mersin
* Bülent Akman: February 25, 1999 - Erzurum Prison
* Kenan Camelan: March 3, 1999 - Greece
* Nükhet Noyan: June 29, 1999 - Istanbul
* Oktay Güvenç: August 14, 1999 - Bayrampaşa Prison
* Bedriye Yıldız: October 23, 1999- Gebze Prison
* Resul Aslan: December 27, 1999 - Ümraniye Prison
* Halil Göneyli: December 27, 1999 - Ümraniye Prison
MA / Berivan Kutlu
Tomorrow: Kurds and their friends stand for 24 years