“I will continue to struggle,” says Ciwana Ebdulbaqi, who resists torture for 71 days
RJAK member Ciwana Ebdulbaqi, who was released after being arrested by the KDP forces for 71 days, told us that she had been subjected to torture because she hadn’t accepted the accusations against her. “I will continue to struggle for women,” she said.
TEWAR PÊNCEWÎN
Sulaymaniyah- Kurdistan Free Women's Movement (RJAK) members Xewla Mihemed, Ciwana Abdulbaqî, and Seyran Ehmed attended the commemoration event held in Shengal for the anniversary of the genocide against Yazidis by ISIS on August 3, 2014. The KDP forces arrested them on August 5 after they returned to Hewlêr (Erbil), the capital of the Southern Kurdistan Region. Xewla Mihemed and Seyran Ehmed were released on bail on September 6, after 33 days in prison while Ciwana Abdulbaqî was released on October 14, after 71 days in custody. We spoke to Ciwana Abdulbaqî about her arrest.
She was held in prison with ISIS members
Stating that the KDP forces stopped them at a checkpoint to ask several questions to them, Ciwana Abdulbaqî said that but they were questioned for several days. The three women were threatened by the KDP forces, “to be tortured if they didn’t accept the accusations against them”. Then, the three women were taken to prison, “They first arrested us for allegedly using illegal ID cards. Then, they accused us of using drugs. There were female members of ISIS in the prison. Being held with ISIS members was psychological warfare against us. They (KDP forces) did their best to break out a fight between the members of ISIS and me. The members of ISIS attacked me. After I spoke to them, they stopped attacking me.”
“Prisoners have no rights”
Pointing out that she had no rights in the prison, Ciwana Ebdulbaqi said, “They asked us to accept the accusations against us. I was subjected to torture because I didn’t accept any accusations. There were 350 women and 50 children in the prison and they don’t have any rights. They have no right to access health services.”
“They tried to break the will of women with torture”
Speaking about the approach of the KDP Asayish against the jailed women, Ciwana Ebdulbaqi said, “They first battered us, and then they used electric shocks to torture us. They also sexually attacked us. They turned off all cameras in the torture room to hide the torture against us. They did those to break the will of women.”
“I will continue to struggle”
Stating that she was wanted to be held in prison for a long time by accusing her of using drugs and murder, Ciwana Ebdulbaqi said, “These accusations were in my file. I was tortured because I rejected all accusations against me.”
Ciwana Ebdulbaqi told us that she will continue to struggle for women’s rights.