Amed (Diyarbakır)- Women of Amed gathered at the rally led by Dicle Amed Women’s Platform (DAKAP) with the motto, “Towards Freedom with Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” to celebrate the International Women’s Day.

Chanting slogans such as “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi”, “Our labor, our body, our identity are ours” and “We are determined to struggle for freedom,” the women wearing their traditional clothes held banners reading, “Our revolution is a women's revolution” and “Jin jiyan azadi”. Hundreds of women participated in the rally, such as Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, activists of the Free Women’s Movement (Kurdish: Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA), Dem Party MPs, mothers, who have held the Justice Vigil, members of the Peace Mothers’ Initiative, the Rosa Women’s Association, the representatives of political parties and NGOs.

‘We do not accept slavery’

Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Amed Co-chair Sultan Yaray made a speech at the rally on the behalf of the rally organizing committee. Starting her speech by greeting the imprisoned women, she said, “For a century, Kurdish people have been denied and their language has been attacked. We saw these attacks when trustees were appointed to our municipalities; the trustees first attacked women and the Kurdish language. Everyone should know that Kurdish people exist; they have their own language and live in this region. We do not accept slavery.”

Besna Tosun also made a speech at the rally on behalf of Saturday Mothers. “I greet all of you on behalf of the Saturday Mothers, who do not take even a step back from their struggle for their loved ones,” said Besan Tosun and then read the names of the disappeared women in police custody.

‘We will bring peace to this land’

DEM Party's co-mayoral candidates for Amed and its districts took to the stage and greeted women. Serra Bucak, Dem Party’s co-mayoral candidate for Amed made a speech at the rally. “We owe this women's organization and struggle to our women comrades. We are sending our greetings to Kandıra and Sincan (Two prisons in Turkey). The doors of these prisons will be opened. Believe that we will bring peace to this land despite the patriarchal mindset. As women, we will bring it. We will win the majority of votes in the elections (the upcoming local elections to be held in Turkey on March 31).”

After her speech, Dem Party Amed MP Adalet Kaya made a speech on behalf of the TJA.

“I commemorate the women, who were murdered, raped and harassed by despotic regimes. Women are killed in Iran. Kurdish women are killed in Başûr (Southern Kurdistan) by Turkish intelligence. We call on them to immediately give up these dirty policies. I greet our friends, who have been on a hunger strike in prisons for 104 days.”

‘We have to rebuild life’

“As women, we resist everywhere against torture and isolation in prisons,” said Ayfer Koçak, Co-chair of the Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK). “We have to rebuild life so that our labor will be visible.”

‘Co-presidency is our purple line’

Dem Party Co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları took the stage at the rally. “Co-presidency is our purple line,” she emphasized. “The intensified attacks on the co-presidency system started when trustees were appointed to our municipalities. We currently have 5,000 women co-mayoral candidates in Kurdistan and Turkey. As Amed, as women, we will use a system based on democracy and gender equality in municipalities with our women co-mayors. We will rebuild our municipalities based on gender perspective.”

After the speeches, the concerts of Koliva and Jin Ma took place at the rally.