Sakine, Fidan and Leyla commemorated in Paris where they were murdered

Nine years after the assassination of Sakine Cansız (Sara), Fidan Doğan (Rojbîn) and Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahî) by the Turkish secret service MIT on 9 January 2013, friends, family members and people in solidarity gathered in front of the Kurdistan Information Office on Rue la Fayette in Paris, the site of the crime, to commemorate the three Kurdish women revolutionaries. With a minute of silence, flowers and candles, the women were remembered and the demand for justice was reiterated. “As long as justice remains in the dark, France is guilty,” said Nûpel Munzur of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe (TJK-E), referring to the state blockade of the investigation into the murders.

“We have known the murderers of Kurdish women since Dersim. We also met them in Maraş, Cizre, Silopi and many other parts of Kurdistan. We know that the triple murder in Paris was ordered by the Erdoğan dictatorship. France’s politicians and authorities are urged to stop refusing to fully investigate these murders. The government must work for the conviction of those behind the murders. If it refuses to do so, France is equally responsible for the deaths of our friends,” Munzur continued.

Activist Agit Polat of the Kurdish umbrella organisation CDK-F called it a “disgrace” that justice for the three Kurdish women has not been established even nine years after the triple murder. “This injustice must be ended immediately. We call on the government of this country to turn back from its wrong path.”

French activist Sylvie Jan from the France-Kurdistan solidarity association also took part in the commemoration ceremony. She described her feelings by saying: “Whenever this date comes closer, the deep pain of losing our friends comes back. Since the first day, the Kurds have been demanding justice. Many people and organisations have joined their demand and more and more are joining. The lack of justice for Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez is a serious democratic problem for France. Therefore, the struggle for justice is not only that of Kurdish society, but also of French society.”

At the end of the ceremony, Kurdish singer Nuarin performed the song “Sê Jinên Azad” (Three Free Women).

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