KJK: Victory will be won by all women who fight for freedom

The Community of Women from Kurdistan (Komalên Jinên Kurdistan, KJK) has issued a message marking the ninth anniversary of the triple murder in Paris of PKK co-founder Sakine Cansız (Sara), KNK Paris Representative Fidan Doğan (Rojbin) and Youth Movement Member Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahi) on 9 January 2013. 

The statement by KJK Coordination highlighted that the fact that the massacre has not been clarified so far is nothing more than a tremendous crime and a desire to keep the truth hidden.

The statement pointed out that the capitalist modernist system, particularly France and Germany, which consider themselves as progressive, democratic, and free, have trampled on the norms of justice and law in order to conceal the truth about the Paris massacre and avoid punishing the perpetrators.

KJK stated that the AKP-MHP government’s misogynistic policies were aimed not only at the Kurdish women’s movement, but also at the universal line of women’s freedom in the person of Kurdish women. “No power can stand against women’s feelings and passion for a free and equal life. We, like Sakine Cansız and her comrades, will remain in persistent resistance and will undoubtedly win an honourable, equal, and free life by fighting together with the women of all peoples.

The statement by KJK Coordination includes the following:

“We are commemorating the 9th anniversary of the murder of a leading cadre of the PKK and the Kurdish Women’s Movement, Sakine Cansız, the diplomacy representative Fidan Doğan, and the member of the Youth Movement, Leyla Şaylemez, by the Turkish MIT on January 9, 2013, by the order of AKP fascist leader Tayyip Erdogan, in Paris.

SAKINE CANSIZ SHOWED WOMEN HOW TO FREE THEMSELVES

Sakine Cansız’s life story is also the history of Kurdish women. Sakine Cansız embodies the desire for freedom that pervades every aspect of life, as evidenced in her person. This is a life devoted to the pursuit of freedom. She is the greatest female resistance warrior, fearlessly tearing down the capitalist system’s life patterns, ancient traditions that enslave women, and illuminating the dark prisons of September 12. With her position and involvement, Comrade Sakine successfully represented the heroic Kurdish woman, who is a continual source of inspiration for our cause and our people, who never surrenders and knows no limitations. She is always a dedicated freedom fighter in her life. She has always taken the lead in our people’s and women’s freedom struggle, with great perseverance and commitment, never giving up. She exemplified the leadership of a strong woman in her own life by showing us how to free a woman in life. She served as a model for us. On this basis, we remember all of our female martyrs, in the person of Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan, and Leyla Şaylemez, with respect, love, and appreciation. Our female martyrs have left a significant legacy of freedom and resistance. We shall live up to their memory. And we will undoubtedly be the winners.

THE VALUES REPRESENTED BY THE THREE REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN ARE UNIVERSAL

With this heinous atrocity in Paris, the true faces of countries such as France and Germany were once again shown. The fact that the incident has remained unsolved for the past 9 years is a tremendous crime and nothing more than a desire to keep the facts hidden. These states, which consider themselves progressive, democratic, and free, have violated the ideals of justice and law in order to keep the details of the Paris massacre hidden and the murderers unpunished. With this aspect, they demonstrated how they handled our women’s freedom movement and the Kurdish people’s freedom struggle. In this respect, the Turkish state is not alone in the aftermath of the 9 January Paris Massacre. The capitalist modernist system, particularly in France and Germany, is equally to blame. As a result, we condemn France and Germany, as well as those directly responsible for the massacre.

Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan, and Leyla Şaylemez represent a line of freedom and principles that are universal. They aspired to provide humanity and women with a free and equal life. The targeting of women who embody such universal human ideals and live for this reason has unveiled the ugly face of the statist and ruling system in a startling way. As a result, in the person of these friends, the freedom of women and peoples around the world has been targeted at the same time.

OUR WOMEN’S MOVEMENT AND ITS PIONEERS ARE THE TARGET OF TURKEY

As Kurdish women, we have achieved continual improvement and progress as a result of President Apo’s (Abdullah Öcalan) liberation concept and teaching. We have been at the forefront of the resistance and struggle lines since the PKK’s inception. Our women’s liberation movement, which began with Sakine Cansız, has progressed to the point of building democratic women’s confederalism based on a women’s army and party organisation. With the Rojava Revolution, we are carrying out the women’s revolution. In this regard, we are at the forefront of the women’s revolution. Women’s movements around the world benefit from our activities and we have become a source of inspiration for mass movements. As a result, the fascist Turkish state, which is an enemy of women and peoples, is targeting our women’s freedom movement in a systematic and organized manner, getting the support of American and European states.

The mentality that murdered Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan, and Leyla Şaylemez went on to play a prominent role in the massacres committed against women by supporting and guiding ISIS, and it still does. It is responsible for the 2014 Shengal massacres of women, as well as the abduction, rape, and murder of women in Afrin ongoing since 2018.

Women have been targeted in Northern Kurdistan for years. On January 4, 2016, the women who resisted were massacred in the person of Sêvê Demir, Pakize Nayır, and Fatma Uyar, with the message “if you oppose, you will be killed” wanted to be given. Regardless of all-out attacks, women continued to revolt, rebel, and resist. Atrocities against women continue to this day, like Deniz Poyraz of the HDP who has been killed and the imprisoned Kurdish women who are tortured with special techniques every day. Garibe Gezer was killed on December 9, 2021, as a result of these practices.

Again, they specifically target women not only in Northern Kurdistan, but in every field they can reach. Hevrîn Xelef was murdered in Rojava in 2019, Leyla Agirî in 2020, Arab women named Hind and Sena, who were administrators of the women’s council in Hesekê in 2021, and three young women leaders Viyan, Nûjiyan and Rojîn, who were targeted in Kobanê. We commemorate these martyrs with respect. All of our martyrs and their lives and goals are our main source of strength. All these clearly show that the Kurdish Women’s Movement and its pioneers are the targets of the Turkish state.

THE UNIVERSAL FREEDOM LINE WAS TARGETED IN THE PERSON OF CANSIZ

With the Paris massacre that took place in the person of Sakine Cansız, the Turkish state tried to give many historical and contemporary messages to our people, to the women who resisted. As it is known, the Turkish state planned to end the Kurdish question in Northern Kurdistan completely with the Dersim Massacre. These plans were frustrated by the PKK’s pro-freedom breakthrough. The reality of an organized, active Kurdish woman who grows conscious and claims herself has emerged, as has the reality of the people.

Sakine Cansız, a dear comrade, believed in the freedom of our people, women, and mankind. She was a trailblazing militant who firmly believed in the peaceful coexistence of peoples. Sakine Cansız, and later dozens of other women who believed in the movement, were targeted on this grounds. Thousands of the most active women have been imprisoned unjustly and illegally. Hundreds of female guerillas were murdered. On the basis of special war policies, Kurdish young girls were subjected to policies of prostitution, drugs, spying, and rape. With its cruel, nasty, immoral, and unscrupulous policies, the Turkish state targeted the cause and line of women’s freedom in the person of Kurdish women. Kurdish women now lead the Rojava Revolution and the Women’s Freedom Movement in the Middle East and around the world. The AKP-MHP government’s misogynistic policies threaten not just the Kurdish women’s movement, but also the universal line of women’s freedom in the person of Kurdish women.

Despite the fact that the capitalist modernist system fully supports the AKP-MHP fascist power economically, politically, and militarily, there has been constant social resistance everywhere. YJA STAR and the women resisting in prisons in the first place, our mothers, young women, and the women’s movement have resisted in every place at all times. We have embraced all of our martyrs on this basis.

Sakine Cansız is a pioneer in the Kurdish women’s movement. We are filled with a strong sense of vengeance for this massacre. We are angry that this case has remained in the dark. Women and friends across Europe have been fighting for light to be shed on this case and the perpetrators to be brought to justice. With great love and respect, we greet our people, women and all our friends worldwide who support this cause in Europe and are always on the move.

NO POWER CAN STAND IN THE WAY OF WOMEN’S DESIRE FOR FREEDOM

As the interest, sympathy, and engagement in the women’s freedom movement grow in the world, the Middle East, and Kurdistan, so does the fear of the male-dominated ruling authorities. Women’s quest for freedom is the weak point of the capitalist modernist system. By colonizing women and peoples, contaminating love and passion, and establishing hierarchies, capitalism has established a male-dominated system. Together with our friends, we are exacting the most heinous vengeance from the current system in the twenty-first century.

As members of the freedom universe, we rebuild life every day with women’s freedom movements, anti-system movements, resistances based on alternative free and equal existence, and the labour, thought, organization, and action styles provided for this cause. Our desire for freedom, our tenacity, is immense. Kurdish women stick to liberation and achievement. No power can now stand in the way of women’s feelings and passion for a free and equal life. Like Sakine Cansız, we shall be in perpetual resistance, and we will undoubtedly win an honourable, equitable, and free life by fighting together with women from all peoples. Victory will be won by all women who fight for freedom.