MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Amed- Kurdish women politicians Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez were killed in Paris on January 9, 2013. 11 years have passed since the massacre; however, the forces behind the massacre are still in the dark. Women keep struggling to reveal the forces behind the massacres against three Kurdish women.

NuJINHA spoke to People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Amed MP Ceylan Akça and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) council member Gügercin Aras about the attacks on the Kurdish women politicians.

 ‘The colonial mentality is afraid of women’

The massacre was conducted by nationalist and sexist motivators, Ceylan Akça said that the colonial states attacked women because they were afraid of both the will and the existence of women. “Women preserving their culture, native language and history, frighten the colonial mentality. We can say the same thing for the massacre conducted against Seve, Pakize and Fatma in 2016. This system, which targets the body and the will of women, has carried out this policy for years. We can say the same thing for the killing of Nagihan Akarsel and Hevrin Khalaf.”

 ‘Turkey is not the only perpetrator of the attacks targeting women’

Emphasizing that the attacks targeting women are not a coincidence, Ceylan Akça thinks that the state (Turkish state) tries to cope with its fears by using such brutal methods. “Turkey is not the only perpetrator of the attacks targeting women. European countries are among those led and paved the way for the massacres,” said Ceylan Akça, adding:

“France has not fulfilled its responsibilities to reveal the massacre that took place in Paris in 2013. It still sells arms to Turkey. The Turkish state keeps killing Kurdish people by using weapons it received from European countries. For this reason, Turkey is not the only perpetrators of the attacks. European countries that claim that they are in favor of democracy and human rights, are also the perpetrators of the attacks on the Kurdish people.”

 ‘Kurdish women play a pioneering role’

Kurdish women have the power to change and lead women’s movements all around the world, Ceylan Akça said. “The countries are afraid of this power of Kurdish women. There is no other way but to fight for Kurdish women.”

In an interview, journalist, writer and academic Nagihan Akarsel said, “Remembering this history and the past, remembering the works of Kurdish women is actually a form of self-defense.” Ceylan Akça recalled the words of Nagihan Akarsel and said:

“At a time when the state is trying to resolve us, waging a struggle for existence is very important. For instance, Nagihan struggled by writing; Seve, Pakize and Fatma struggled in politics. Sakine, Fidan and Leyla struggled as a whole, like a trunk gathering all the branches of a tree. Today, Kurdish women struggle in all facets of life. Today, they play a pioneering role in fighting all around the world. We have no intention of disappearing, we will always keep struggling and we will always be here.”

 ‘We will always go after this case’

Democratic Regions Party (DBP) council member Gügercin Aras told us that they would take to the streets on January 9 to protest the massacre. “The attack on Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez was a planned attack against peace,” she said.

 “Kurdish women, who worked for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question, were targeted. As women, we know that shedding light on this massacre will pave the way for a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. Everyone should know very well that we will always go after this case until the perpetrators stand trial. As women, we will leave no stone unturned until we reach the truth.”

 Gügercin Aras emphasized that they would continue to expand their struggle until an honorable peace was achieved. “We will keep taking to the streets on January 9 to protest the murdering of three Kurdish women.”