News Center – Ayşe Gökkan dedicated her life to defending freedom, Kurdish rights, and women’s rights in the face of violence and marginalization, embodying the aspirations of thousands of women who refused to submit.

The Democratic Women's Alliance in the Middle East and North Africa (NADA) issued a statement on Thursday, September 11, urging solidarity with Gökkan and describing her case as a symbol of the struggle for freedom against authoritarianism.

“We are deeply concerned about the ongoing trial of Ayşe Gökkan, a woman who devoted her life to freedom, to the rights of her Kurdish people, and to women’s rights. She once served as the spokesperson of the Free Women’s Movement and became a resounding voice for women resisting oppression and violence,” the statement read.

It condemned the authorities’ actions, saying that those who fear the voice of free women have turned legitimate resistance into a crime. “She was sentenced to 30 years in prison on fabricated charges of ‘supporting terrorism’—a clear attempt to silence her and the spirit of resistance she represents. Yet the truth is known: Ayşe Gökkan stood for justice against persecution, equality against patriarchy, and resistance against tyranny.”

The alliance stressed that Gökkan’s retrial, scheduled for tomorrow after an appeal, will be a defining moment. “This trial will show whether the judiciary sides with justice or continues to obey political repression. The trial of women like Ayşe Gökkan is not an individual case, but a universal and moral issue tied to women’s freedom and the right of peoples to self-determination.”

The NADA Alliance urged the international community not to ignore such clear human rights violations and called on human rights organizations to place Gökkan’s case among their top priorities. “Women’s movements must raise their voices in solidarity with a woman who carries the banner of freedom under the harshest conditions. Democratic forces and peace-loving peoples must recognize this case as a symbol of the fight for freedom against oppression,” it said.

The statement added that prosecuting a woman who symbolizes resistance is a threat to all women demanding their rights and a warning to all societies aspiring to democracy. “History has shown that free voices cannot be imprisoned, women’s will cannot be broken, and the tears of women behind bars will become rivers of determination. We in the NADA Alliance declare our full solidarity with our comrade Ayşe Gökkan. Her voice—and the voices of all free women—will remain, no matter how hard they try to silence us. Freedom cannot be tried, justice cannot be jailed, and legitimate resistance cannot be criminalized. Let us make the day of her trial a day of global solidarity and a day when women’s voices rise everywhere, affirming that prison bars cannot break the will of freedom.”