The Autonomous Administration of Shengal issued a written statement marking the 10th anniversary of the city’s liberation from Shengal.
The statement on Thursday includes the following:
Today, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Shengal with great enthusiasm, hope, and determination. Ten years ago, on November 13, 2015, the news that the city center of Shengal had been liberated from the clutches of ISIS reached our people. Ten years ago, we did not only liberate Shengal from the mercenaries; we also liberated ourselves from betrayal, disaster, and domination. As is well known, Shengal was surrendered to ISIS mercenaries and occupied as a result of a major betrayal. A great historic resistance was put up against this great betrayal. Shengal was liberated through house-to-house and street-to-street fighting, led by HPG and YJA-Star guerrillas, YBŞ-YJŞ fighters, and the defense forces of the Rojava Revolution. Hundreds fell as martyrs in this struggle. In the name of those martyrs, we commemorate all the martyrs of the freedom movement and free Shengal. We celebrate the 10th anniversary of Shengal’s liberation together with the families of the martyrs and our people.
With the liberation of Shengal, which was not merely a military operation, we saved our land, our language, our culture, our faith, and our values. We saved the Yazidi women and the Yazidi youth. We saved ourselves from betrayal and disaster. It was the first time in Yazidi history that we established our own defense force, which Yazidi women also joined. For the first time, the Yazidis returned to their sacred lands after a genocide. Therefore, the day of Shengal’s liberation is the day of resurrection and victory for its people. After liberation, a new life began in Shengal. The Yazidi community and the people began to build a new life. Over the past 10 years, progress has been made in the revolutionary process, and important gains have been achieved. Shengal has attained its own defense and administrative power.
Despite all these gains, attacks on Shengal continue. The policy of extermination is being pursued through various methods. In particular, the forces that liberated Shengal by fighting against ISIS are still the target of various attacks. The policy of changing Shengal’s demographic structure continues today with the aim of creating a Shengal without Yazidis. Significant political, military, economic, and social pressure on Shengal continues. In short, the plans to eliminate and destroy Shengal are still in effect.
Therefore, on the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Shengal, we appeal to all Yazidis once again. We call upon our people to unite around their culture, language, and belief and to respond to the special war policies and the White Decree (Fermana Spî) with their own unique struggle. We call upon our people to unite more than ever around their own organizations, institutions, and defense forces.
We dedicate the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Shengal to Leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan), to whom we owe our presence in these lands. Today, Leader Apo continues to be the greatest source of strength and morale for the Yazidi people in the Peace and Democratic Society process. Every letter, every word, every message from him shows us the path to freedom. Just as Shengal was liberated through Leader Apo’s efforts, it will be rebuilt as a free and autonomous Shengal through his ideas.
Over the past 10 years, we have progressed from the genocide process to the Shengal Revolution, and from the Shengal Revolution to the process of rebirth. Today, the conditions for building a free, democratic, and autonomous Shengal are more favorable than ever. In the 10th year of Shengal’s liberation, we will also be a strong part of Leader Apo’s Peace and Democratic Society initiative. The Yazidi community will defend its identity, land, and status more than ever before. And they will remain more committed than ever to Leader Apo’s ideas. On the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Shengal, we will also intensify our struggle to crown its liberation with the construction of a free and democratic society.”