A two-day protest was staged in Şırnak province yesterday against the ever-growing ecological destruction in the region. Following a march in the city center, demonstrators moved to the rural Besta region and launched a vigil yesterday. The action has been concluded today.
The Free Women’s Movement (TJA), which was among the participants of the protest action, released a statement vowing to continue their ecological struggle against destruction.
The TJA statement on Wednesday includes the following:
“Ecological plunder, which is one aspect of the special war policies implemented to destroy Kurdistan’s nature and its historical memory, is emerging in different forms every day. The Besta, Cudi and Gabar mountains, which are both historical and natural treasures of Kurdistan, have been plundered for years by these policies. Thousands of trees are being cut down in the region under the pretext of mining, oil exploration and infrastructure projects, and forested areas being destroyed on security grounds. This destruction, which disregards the forest, the trees, living creatures and people, continues to pose a threat to everything in the region, from flowing water to soil, fauna and flora.
As we conclude the vigil we began yesterday against this plundering, we declare that our struggle for nature will continue. The people’s embrace of this vigil, their rising up for the nature of Kurdistan that is being destroyed and sought to be eradicated, is a demonstration of their determination for democratic and social life against destruction.
For us, this is not just a vigil, but a call to life. We appeal to the international community: this ecological destruction in Kurdistan is not just a local issue, but a threat to the common future of the whole world. Defending nature is an integral part of the global struggle against the climate crisis. This call for life rising in Besta must be heeded, and our solidarity must be strengthened.