National Conference calls for consistent stance against occupation

On the night of April 23-24, the Turkish army began its attempt to occupy the Medya Defense Zones. Since then, heavy fighting and fierce resistance have been occurring on daily basis. The Turkish army is stuck. Meanwhile, the Turkish air force is attacking regions such as the Shengal (Sinjar) area or the self-administered Maxmur refugee camp. South Kurdistan’s ruling party KDP collaborates with Turkish expansionism. In order to develop a common stance among Kurdish forces, a “National Conference against Occupation” was held in the Netherlands on September 4. The final declaration of the conference has been published today.

Occupation, attacks and resistance

The statement refers to the various invasions and occupations of Kurdish regions by Turkey, recalling that a new campaign of invasion and occupation by Turkish troops and their mercenaries had begun in 2018 with the occupation of Afrin. The conferees also point to the occupation of Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) and Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) in Rojava in October 2019 and the plans to deprive the Yazidi Shengal region of autonomy. It says: “Since then, there have been attacks against Shengal and residents of the region have been murdered. Similar relentless attacks are also directed against the Maxmur refugee camp.” The conferees refer to the current attacks and point out that it is no coincidence that the attacks began on the night of April 24, the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Regarding the resistance, they say: “In the face of these attacks, the peoples of Kurdistan and their organizations continue to resist sacrificially. At the same time, protests by people from Kurdistan around the world are increasing.”

“Attacks on women in Kurdistan are on the rise”

The declaration further states, “There are many points that stand out. All the rights of Kurdish women are being disregarded. Especially in Afrin, women are kidnapped, murdered and raped by the occupation forces. Kurdistan’s demographic structure is being actively changed. The Kurds and the other peoples of the region are being driven from their ancestral lands.”

“Stop Criminalization”

The declaration continues:

“While the Kurdish freedom movement is still labeled terrorist by many states, many Kurdish leaders and prominent figures, especially women, are also criminalized.

So far, no state or international institutions have spoken out against these dirty practices. We protest against this silence and demand that all social circles oppose the defamation of Kurds as terrorists and stand in solidarity with them. The Kurdish people ended the territorial rule of the most terrible organization that threatened the whole world, the ISIS. It thus protected not only itself but also the world from serious danger.

“Support for all those who oppose the occupation”

First and foremost, we salute all the forces that fought against the occupation and protected the land and people of Kurdistan, and remember with gratitude those who sacrificed their lives to do so. We declare our support for all initiatives that oppose the occupation.

On the other hand, we reiterate that Kurdistan is the land of all the people who live there. On the basis of this reality, every national force in Kurdistan must be able to carry out its work freely. The reactionary occupying states have no right to invade and partially or completely occupy our land by invoking this situation.”

“Kurdish parties must develop respectful relations”

The conferees state: “In order to successfully oppose the occupation, Kurdish forces should develop their relations in mutual respect. All Kurdish forces should take a common stance against the invasion and not participate in any way in the practices of the occupiers.

We call on all Kurdish parties, organizations and institutions to form a high-level committee to develop mutual respect and eliminate the danger.

We believe that the well-known personalities of Kurdistan also have a great responsibility in this process. All Kurdish personalities should follow a consistent line against the invasion and fulfill their duty to warn the Kurdish forces effectively.

“Silence means complicity”

The Turkish state draws its power from the silence of the international powers and institutions. It is because of their silence that it recklessly uses all weapons, including chemical weapons. To remain silent in the face of these dirty practices is nothing more than complicity in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity. From here, we call on all international powers and institutions to break their silence on the crimes of the Turkish state and support the demands of the peoples of Kurdistan.

Building committees

In order for the Platform against Occupation to continue its work more effectively, it must itself become broader, but also receive greater support. To this end, our conference suggests the creation of various committees and has decided to create a committee to strengthen communication between Kurdish parties, political groups, intellectuals and personalities. In addition, a communication committee is to be established and in this way the representation of the Kurds in the press is to be improved. A third committee is to take care of lobbying and diplomacy with political parties, parliaments and European states.

We expect all sides to facilitate the work of the Platform against Occupation and support the work of the committees.

As participants of the National Conference against Occupation, we call again on the Kurdish and the world public to respect human values. We call on them to play their role against the cruel attacks of the Turkish state.”

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