Under the slogan “Together against drugs, prostitution, and the special war,” a large protest march took place on Sunday in Lice district of Amed (tr. Diyarbakır). The march was organized by the Kurdish women’s movement TJA, supported by civil society organizations, women’s groups, youth initiatives, and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
The demonstration began at the site of the former Halis Toprak factory. From there, the crowd marched toward the city center, carrying banners with slogans such as “No to drugs and prostitution,” “Let’s protect our society,” and “Embrace hope, not poison.” Slogans were chanted repeatedly, including “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî,” “Be vigilant against drugs and prostitution,” and “We defend our future.”
Murat Kan: Fighting against a political weapon
The event concluded with a rally on Democracy Square, where several speakers highlighted the socio-political dimension of drug distribution and organized sexual exploitation in the context of war and state influence. Murat Kan, co-spokesperson for the anti-drug platform Şiyar Be!, spoke of a targeted policy of subversion against Kurdish society. The effects of drugs and forced prostitution are not accidental, he said, but part of a plan to weaken collective consciousness.
“Following the so-called ‘disruption plan’ of 2015, this silent war has intensified. When they couldn’t destroy Kurdish society with weapons, they changed their strategy. Today, young people are being broken by drugs and women by exploitation – with the help of local actors, right here among us.” This development can only be countered by organized, collective resistance, Kan emphasized. “Women and young people in particular must be at the forefront. We say no to drugs, prostitution, and gambling. We are building a democratic society based on our own values.”
Mothers from Lice: “Only together can we stop this”
Several mothers from Lice also spoke up and appealed to the population to oppose this development. Recalling the words of poet Cegerxwîn, they called out: “Eger hûn nebin yek, hûn ê herin yek bi yek – If you do not become one, you will fall one by one.” Only together can the destruction of society be stopped.
Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar: A deliberate attack on Kurdistan
Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, co-chair of the DBP, spoke in her speech of a systematically controlled strategy of attack against the social fabric in Kurdistan. The aim, she said, was to distort the Kurdish reality: “They want Kurdistan to no longer be associated with resistance, women, youth, and equality, but with prostitution and drugs. But that is not our reality. Our reality is 40 years of resistance, democracy, and the struggle for freedom.”
Uçar referred to data from the Amed Bar Association, which impressively documents the extent of the drug problem. According to this data, there were around 2,700 cases related to drug offenses in 2023, including many involving the production, trafficking, or facilitation of narcotics use. The proportion of underage defendants is particularly alarming: eight children under the age of twelve and 80 others between the ages of twelve and 18 had to answer in court for drug offenses. In the 18-25 age group alone, almost 500 people were affected.
In addition, the average age for starting to use drugs has already fallen to nine in some regions. “These are no longer isolated cases; this is a structural problem, and the youngest are the most vulnerable,” said Uçar. “The figures are no coincidence, but rather the result of a deliberate policy. These young people are not losing their prospects by accident—they are being systematically cut off from them. We are not talking about illness here, but about a silent war against hope. It is about uprooting young people, disenfranchising women, and emptying society.”
Self-defense and social organization as a response
Uçar recalled a case from last September in which a Turkish gendarmerie commander in Lice was reported for tolerating drug trafficking. “Those who look the other way often benefit from it themselves,” said the politician. She emphasized the need for self-defense in a social sense: through education, prevention, visibility, and joint action: “Drug traffickers and human traffickers must be exposed publicly. The aim is to establish solidarity committees in every neighborhood that strengthen and protect each other.”
Fight together, win together
The DBP co-chair also referred to the call for peace and a democratic society made by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan on February 27. She said: “If we want peace and democracy, we will start in Lice. We will reject everything that does not belong to us—drugs, exploitation, individual alienation. What we need is a strong, free, organized collective. And we women will be the pioneers in this.” She ended her speech with the words: ”We will fight together and win together.”