A vigil by the Democratic Kurdish Community in Switzerland has been taking place in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva since 25 January 2021. Every Wednesday, activists stage a protest in front of the United Nations building to demand the release of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. The action is carried out as part of the ‘Dem dema azadiye’ [Time for Freedom] campaign and directed against the isolation of the Kurdish leader on the Turkish prison island of Imrali, the Turkish occupation attacks on Kurdistan, the massacres committed in Kurdish territories and the silence of the UN.
During this week’s demonstration, which is held at a tent set up in Nations Square where the UN Office is located, activists observed a moment of silence in memory of Arjîn Cûdî (Zeynep Dal), who was martyred in Metîna on August 18, 2022, and Çekdar Canfeda Med (Enver Çelik), who was martyred on August 12, 2022.
The press statement was read by Yekbûn Güneş on behalf of the Kurdish Women’s Union in Switzerland (YJK-S). Güneş said that August 3, 2014, the 11th anniversary of the genocide against the Yazidi people in Shengal, “will remain a black day for humanity.”
Noting that thousands of women and children are still missing, she said, “This is an open wound in the conscience of humanity.”
The YJK-S representative stated, “Today, the people of Shengal continue to resist in order to take control of their own destiny, build their own defense, and live freely. However, this will is intended to be suppressed by external interventions. The Iraqi state and regional and international actors must respect this will.”
Yekbûn Güneş made the following appeal: “The international community must prosecute the perpetrators of genocide and shed light on the fate of missing women and children. The demands of the people of Shengal must be met through democratic dialogue, not through oppression and coercion. Shengal’s right to self-government must be recognized and its status officialized.”
“Let’s raise our voices against injustice,” said Güneş and concluded her speech with the following call: “Let’s name these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice. Let’s expand our joint struggle for the free future of the people of Shengal.”
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