Munzur: We want those responsible for the Paris Massacre to be held to account!

The people of Kurdistan, who called for justice for Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez, who were murdered in Paris on 9 January 2013, are preparing to take to the streets in the 9th year of the massacre.

European Kurdish Women’s Movement (TJK-E) member Nûpel Munzur made a statement on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the Paris Massacre and called for mass participation in the marches to be held on 8 January in various cities of France, especially in Paris, and in all European countries.

Pointing out that three generations of Kurdish people were targeted in the person of the three Kurdish women revolutionaries who were murdered in Paris, Munzur said: “As we enter the 9th year of the Paris Massacre, I commemorate each of our martyrs with respect and gratitude. For the last 9 years, the struggle for justice has been going on to establish the truth about the massacre and for the perpetrators to be tried. It will continue after that. This is the struggle to bring the killers to account, to bring the forces behind the killers to account. This is a struggle waged by the Kurdish Women’s Movement and the Freedom Movement. We know who the killers are. We know very well what their purpose really was. We also know very well why the murdered friends were chosen. We know why Heval Sara [Sakine Cansız] was chosen. Heval Sara was the well known face of the Kurdish Women’s Movement, the Kurdish Freedom Movement, a monument of resistance and freedom, a friend who had previously challenged fascism. They targeted Sara to try and destroy the Kurdish Women’s Movement. Ocalan had warned, ‘They will hit me or Sara’. The Paris killings, he said, were the continuation of the Dersim Massacre. It is not a coincidence that Rojbin and Leyla were targeted. Rojbin was our door to the world. Again, our future, our youth’s hope was represented by Leyla. Therefore, the selection of friends is, of course, not a coincidence.”

The order was given by Erdogan. He should be put on trial!

Munzur added that “our revolutionary reaction and anger will continue even if it takes 9 more years. We know the murderers from the Dersim massacre, we know from Zilan. We know the killers most recently from self-government resistance. We know it from Cizre, Sur and Roboski, we know it from the Maraş Massacre. We know from the Rojava and Shengal massacres.”

Munzur said that they placed this massacre at the center of the campaign of the Kurdish Women’s Movement, and said: “We are still running the ‘100 reasons to put the dictator on trial’ campaign. Erdogan is responsible for the massacre. And because we know these, we ask for accountability. We will continue to hold him accountable until those forces behind the massacre are brought to justice.”

‘If justice remains in the darkness, France is also guilty’

The TJK-E member continued: “France is guilty as long as justice remains in the darkness” and added: “We will deal with our actions within this framework. This massacre took place in France. We know very well that France played an important role when it was time to expose the perpetrators of the massacre and that France remained silent and complicit in the crime. France is trying to obscure the evidence even though there is a lot of evidence. After the death of the killer, we witness an attitude saying ‘the shooter is dead, let’s close the case’. We are fighting to have the trial run again. Concrete data related to this massacre and the perpetrators are clear. They were caught in Belgium. All this was meant to be covered. And covering all this is France. As long as France does not reveal this, it is guilty from our point of view. We can clearly state that France was a partner in this massacre or is responsible for not enlightening the massacre. As long as France does not deliver justice, it will remain guilty.”

Let’s reclaim justice!

Nûpel Munzur said that they will organize three important events in Paris and Europe, beginning on Thursday 5 January in front of the French embassies and consulates in all European countries.

“Everyone should participate in all actions with this awareness. The Kurdish Women’s Movement, carries out a multi-faceted work together with feminist organizations. We invite all our friends and all those who did not remain silent in the face of this massacre to take action, especially on 8 January, to raise the fight against fascism and the male-dominant mentality.

Our action calendar is as follows: A wreath laying action will be held in front of the French embassies and consulates in all countries on 5 January, and a march will be held in Paris at 11 am in front of the Democratic Kurdish Community Center and in front of the Kurdistan Information Bureau. We will carry out our march for justice and truth. In this sense, we invite our martyrs’ families, our female friends, our French friends and our councils to this event.

As in other countries, a march and then a rally will be held in Paris at 12 on 8 January, at Gare Du Nord. Again on 9 January, we will gather at 12 pm and commemorate our three friends in front of the Kurdistan Information Office where the massacre took place. We invite everyone to hold the murderers accountable and to unite around the martyrs of Paris.”