150 days of action for Xelîfan martyrs killed by KDP

Since 5 October, the Peace Mothers in Rojava, together with many other initiatives, have been protesting for the release of the delivery of the guerrilla fighters killed in a KDP ambush in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). In particular, the protesters demand the delivery of the mortal remains of Tolhildan Raman and Serdem Cûdî. The guerrilla commander and the fighter were from Rojava and belonged to the seven-member HPG/YJA-Star unit that was ambushed by a special KDP force in Xelîfan near Hewlêr on the night of 28-29 August. A survivor of the attack reported extra-legal executions by the KDP, which collaborates with Turkey.

KDP attack and embargo

The protests were initially held for 111 days at the Sêmalka border crossing between Rojava and South Kurdistan. On the 77th day of the protest, 15 December 2021, the KDP attacked the protesters. The border troops of the KDP used tear gas, water cannons and stones against the protesters. Fifteen people were injured in the attack, two of them seriously. The following day, the KDP unilaterally closed the border crossing and tightened the embargo on the region. In Rojava, there were protests against the KDP in many places due to the closure of the border.

“Defeat the betrayal with the spirit of resistance of Kobanê”

On 20 February 2022, the Council of Martyrs’ Families launched a tent protest in Kobanê under the slogan: “Defeat the betrayal with the spirit of resistance of Kobanê”. In a statement, the protesters said: “While the Kurdish people and their fighters have chosen the path of resistance, the KDP has chosen the line of betrayal. The KDP has proven itself to be an enemy of Kurdish unity through its relations with the enemies of the Kurds.”

Mass demonstration in Tirbespiyê

On 28 February 2022, a protest action took place in Tirbespiyê in Rojava. Several tens of thousands of people took part in the demonstration. The demonstration declared: “We condemn the KDP’s relationship with the Turkish state and call on the people of South Kurdistan to support the struggle for freedom. Expose the complicity between the KDP and Erdoğan.”

Protests by internally displaced persons from Afrin

In Serdem camp in the northern Syrian region of Şehba, IDPs from Turkish-occupied Afrin protested against the KDP on 2 March under the slogan “Death to Treason”. In a statement, they said: “The Barzani family’s betrayal continues to this day and is getting worse by the day. Our martyrs resisted the betrayal until the end.”

Peace Mothers: Yesterday we were in Sêmalka and today we are everywhere

Suad Mistefa, the mother of the Kurdish politician Hevrîn Xelef, who was assassinated by mercenaries of the Turkish invading forces in Northern Syria in October 2019, has been participating in every action for the Xelîfan martyrs since 5 October 2021. She told ANF: “We started an action in Sêmalka on 5 October to demand the bodies of our children who were attacked and killed in Xelîfan with our other martyrs. People from all over Rojava and Northeast Syria flocked to the action. Their hope and desire was to receive the bodies of the martyrs. Unfortunately, those who claimed to be our brothers and sisters did not hand over the bodies to us. Our enemies are trying to occupy our land. This is what our children are fighting against. Unfortunately, those who claim to be siblings are lying in wait for them. The bodies of our children who were killed in the ambush in Xelîfan have not been handed over for eight months.”

She continued: “We have ended the tent protest in Sêmalka, but our actions continue. We are always on the streets and will continue like this. A few days ago, we were in Tirbespiyê. Yesterday, people from Afrin staged a protest. We address our actions to the public. Everyone must take a stand.”

“If necessary, we are ready to die”

Mistefa explained that the bodies of hundreds of young Kurds are in the hands of the KDP: “It is not only about the Xelîfan martyrs. They also have the bodies of our children who fell in the 1990s. Our actions are not over. If necessary, we will start tent action again. We will be in constant action until we get the bodies of our martyrs. We will do whatever we can to get the bodies of our martyrs, whatever it takes. If necessary, we are also ready to die for it. We will not take a step back. As mothers, we will permanently resist and fight in the footsteps of our children. Resistance means life, death to betrayal.”