The Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council issued a statement to mark the anniversary of the Paris massacres.
The statement said: “On January 9, 2013, Sara, Rojbîn, and Ronahi, three revolutionary Kurdish women, were assassinated in Paris. On the approaching anniversary of their assassination, we once again strongly condemn this despicable murder and remember Sara, Rojbîn, and Ronahî with respect and gratitude. At the same time, we commemorate Evîn Goyî, Mir Perwer, and Abdürrahman Kızıl, who were similarly targeted and murdered in Paris on December 23, 2023. It was also recently the anniversary of the martyrdom of our friends Sêvê Demir, Pakize Nayır, and Fatma Uyar, who were brutally murdered in Silopi on January 3, 2016. By commemorating these valuable martyrs, we remember all the martyrs who gave their lives for the revolution and the struggle towards democracy with great respect and gratitude. We bow before their precious memories.”
The statement added: “The Massacre of Paris was planned and carried out by genocidal-colonialist forces who stand in the way of a solution to the Kurdish question. Already the timing of the attack clearly reveals this fact. The fact that such an attack took place in Paris at the very beginning of the process of dialogue with the Kurdish people’s leader, Abdullah Öcalan, for the resolution of the Kurdish issue in 2013 was an act of sabotage. The assassination of comrade Sara is also an act of revenge against the founding of the PKK and the paradigm of women’s freedom. Kurdish people’s leader, Abdullah Öcalan, labeled the assassination of comrade Sara as the second Massacre of Dersim (tr. Tunceli) and clearly pointed out that comrade Sara’s legacy would live on in the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people and particularly of the women.
The Massacre of Paris was planned and carried out by the state’s intelligence agency itself. It was the practical implementation of the strategy to suffocate and eliminate the Kurdish people’s freedom struggle everywhere. The assassination was also carried out using the Turkish state’s relations and capabilities in Europe.”
The statement continued: “Considering France’s attitude after the massacre, it is clear that the state turned a blind eye to this massacre. The fact that the French state did not reveal that this massacre was carried out by the Turkish state demonstrates this.
The Massacre of Paris also has to be seen as a major attack against the Kurdish women’s struggle for freedom. Comrades Sara, Rojbîn, and Ronahî were leading pioneers of the women’s freedom struggle. Sara, having played a pioneering role both in the founding of the party and in the women’s freedom struggle, became a target of genocidal colonialism. It is clear that this attack targeted the reality that the women’s freedom struggle greatly strengthened the Kurdish people’s freedom struggle. For this reason, as the women’s freedom struggle developed, the attacks increased day by day, and the women’s freedom struggle became the primary target of the special war.”
The statement underlined that “although 13 years have passed since the Massacre of Paris, the French state has not taken any steps to reveal the massacre in all its dimensions. France, which presents itself as an exemplary country in terms of democracy and law, has set these values aside in the Paris massacre. The assertion that uncovering the truth in the Dreyfus Affair became a culture in French law has become meaningless in the Paris massacre. In short, France has violated both its own law and universal law, sacrificing them to its political interests. Due to its economic and political relations with Turkey, it has not been able to clearly state that the Paris massacre was carried out by the Turkish state. The Kurdish people are deeply distrustful of France’s stance.
For years, the Kurdish people have been fighting alongside France’s democratic forces to expose this massacre. This struggle will eventually bear fruit, and the full truth of this massacre will come to light. This year, our people and their international friends are also organizing actions to express their reactions on the anniversary of the massacres. We call on our people and our international friends to participate in these actions in a strong manner to intensify the struggle to expose these massacres.”