Marked by sharp criticism of authoritarian regimes and a comprehensive call for international women’s organizing, the first Europe Conference of the East Kurdistan Free Women’s Society (KJAR) was held in Cologne. On January 31, representatives and members from various European countries came together under the motto “Reconstruction on the Basis of Equality” to discuss perspectives on social self-defense, political reorientation, and organizational strengthening.
In a final declaration published on Monday, KJAR stated: “Our conference took place at a time when Kurdistan is going through an extremely difficult phase. Moreover, the Iranian regime has committed genocide in East Kurdistan—particularly in Ilam, Kermanshah, Malekshahi—and across Iran,” referring to the mass killings of demonstrators since late December.
Democracy only through women’s self-organization
KJAR does not view the attacks on Kurds as isolated repression, but as part of a global war against social diversity, nature, and democratic self-determination. The final declaration says: “The nation-state, capitalism, and industrialization form three blocks that destroy life itself through war and technology. They annihilate the diversity of societies, strip life of its meaning, and sever the connection between humanity and nature.”
The movement emphasizes that a democratic and free society can only emerge through the self-organization of free women. A central task, therefore, is to deepen awareness of these interconnections and to fight the patriarchal system that has developed over millennia: “We must understand the system precisely and struggle against the racist male-dominated system that has shaped our thinking, literature, practice, and lives for more than twelve thousand years. Racism today is not an individual issue, but a global one.”
Commitment to Öcalan’s physical freedom reaffirmed
Within the framework of the conference, a Europe-wide KJAR network was established. The movement announced that it would expand cooperation with other women, particularly from oppressed peoples in Iran. The goal is to create a collective front against state violence and patriarchal domination: “Through organization, we will prevent further massacres of women and society.”
A significant part of the discussions focused on the struggle for the physical freedom of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, which KJAR views as a strategic cornerstone for a democratic future: “Öcalan’s will for peace is not a tactical gesture, but a strategic and paradigm-shaping project. His struggle points the way toward a democratic society and lasting peace. Therefore, the struggle for his physical freedom will remain one of our central tasks.”
Building a global women’s alliance
The role of the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Woman, Life, Freedom) revolution, which emerged in 2022 after the violent death of the Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police, was also highlighted. KJAR views the resistance of the peoples of Iran as a historic momentum extending far beyond national borders: “The uprisings have shown that the women’s revolution in Rojhilat and across the country has become the driving force of change.”
In conclusion, the movement explicitly calls for the active participation of all freedom-loving women—regardless of origin, nation, or religion: “We call on all women abroad to organize with their own slogans, to create a gender-equal and free identity, to struggle, to liberate themselves, to form a women’s alliance, and to take responsibility in this new phase. As KJAR-Europe, we will continue this struggle with seriousness and conviction until liberation.”