International human rights lawyer Lotta Lagnander and Jeff Miley from the University of Cambridge answered questions from Erem Kansoy on a program broadcast by Medya Haber TV.
Lagnander and Miley expressed deep concern over developments in Rojava and Kobanê, voicing their solidarity with the Kurdish people.
Lagnander said the situation in Kobanê and Rojava is extremely worrying, drawing attention to two fundamental dangers. She noted that the first is the potential release of ISIS detainees held in prisons, warning that such a development could have devastating consequences. She stressed that the more alarming issue, however, is the direct attacks targeting the Kurdish people. She said, “People there are under very heavy attacks. I am deeply concerned about the situation in Kobanê and Rojava.”
Conveying a message of solidarity from Sweden, Lagnander added that demonstrations were held in many cities last week in support of Kobanê and Rojava, and that actions are continuing today in five cities. She said the demonstrations aim to express support for the Kurdish people and to show unity and solidarity, concluding her remarks with thanks.
Jeff Miley, a professor at the University of Cambridge, said the Kurdish people are today facing an existential threat and a genocidal attack. He said the assaults targeting the revolutionary project in Rojava have been met with silence by the international community, describing in particular the stance of the United States as “irresponsible and unacceptable.” He added that the United Kingdom has remained almost completely silent.
Miley said this approach effectively amounts to complicity in Turkish-led attacks against the very existence of the Kurdish people. He stressed that the system established in Rojava offers a radically democratic alternative to the crisis of capitalist modernity. Miley said, “In a world filled with despair, Rojava is a breath, a source of hope,” and added that this is precisely why the resistance in Rojava must survive.
Prof. Miley said he believes the people of Kobanê will demonstrate the strength and resilience needed to defend this project. He sharply condemned all international actors who remain silent in the face of attacks on the Kurdish people, whom he described as the most reliable allies in the fight against ISIS. He warned that the simultaneous release of ISIS prisoners from prisons and the continued attacks by Islamist forces against the Kurdish people constitute a grave threat.
Miley concluded his remarks by saying, “Once again, I express my strongest and unwavering solidarity with the Kurdish people.”