‘As long as justice for Paris killings is denied, France remains guilty,’ say Kurds in France

On 9 January 2013, Sakine Cansiz (Sara), co-founder of the PKK, Fidan Dogan (Rojbîn), representative in France of the National Congress of Kurdistan (KNK), and Leyla Saylemez (Ronahî), member of the Kurdish youth movement, were savagely murdered in Paris. Nine years after this massacre, justice is still not done.

The Kurdish Women’s Movement in France (TJK-F) and the Democratic Kurdish Council in France (CDK-F) released a statement to call on people to join the demonstrations and events to be organised on 9 January.

The statement said: “The first investigation opened the day after the murders, would reveal that the killings had been ordered and planned by the Turkish intelligence agency (MIT). However, following the death of the killer, Ömer Güney – who would have died in prison of a brain tumor in December 2016 -, the French justice decided to close the file on the pretext that as ‘the alleged killer died, the public action is extinguished’. Subsequently, two senior MIT officials captured by the PKK armed forces revealed crucial information about the planning of the triple assassination, including that it was carried out with the acquiescence of Erdogan, who was then prime minister.”

The statement added: “Another important development relates to criminal proceedings launched in Belgium following an assassination attempt against other Kurdish politicians. Investigations into this case revealed that some of those implicated, as well as İsmail Hakkı Musa, then Turkish Ambassador to Paris, were implicated in the conspiracy.

On the basis of this new evidence, lawyers for the families of the victims have obtained the opening of a new investigation which has now lasted for three years. However, citing ‘defense secrecy’, the French authorities still refuse to share with the judges the information held by their intelligence services.

This refusal, which hinders the achievement of the truth, constitutes a political obstacle to the mission of the investigating judge. Thus, the French government grants a de facto impunity to a terrorist crime committed on its territory by the Turkish secret services. Not lifting the defence secrecy amounts to an intolerable denial of justice. As long as truth and justice are in the shadows, France will remain guilty.”

Marches and Demonstrations

As every year on the anniversary of the massacre, the Kurdish organizations in France, call for people to take to the streets to demand justice for Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Saylemez. “Let us make our voices heard to those who refuse to hear the quest for justice of the Kurdish families and people for 9 years” said the statement, adding that “Erdogan is the sponsor of the massacre, he must be tried!”

Protest events on the 9th anniversary of the Paris Killings are as follows:

-March for Justice and Truth, from Democratic Kurdish Community Centre in Paris to Kurdistan Information Bureau, on 5 January at 11.00 am.

-Demonstration following the march from Gare Du Nord to Republique Square with the slogan ‘As long as justice remains in darkness, France will be guilty’, to be held on 8 January at 12.00 pm.

– Commemoration event in front of Kurdistan Information Bureau on Rue La Fayette Street, where the massacre was perpetrated, on 9 January 2022 at 12.30 pm.