Thousands of women marked International Women’s Day with a large rally in Amed (tr. Diyarbakır). The event at the Station Square was organized by the Free Women’s Movement (TJA) and the Dicle Amed Women’s Platform. The rally was held under the slogan: “Through resistance we liberate ourselves and build a democratic society.”
Already in the morning, numerous women gathered in the Ofis district and marched to the rally square wearing colorful dresses. Accompanied by applause and slogans, they carried banners with inscriptions such as “The time of women” and “With jineology toward liberation through the commune.” At the square, women initially continued the rally with music and Govend dances. Afterwards, a minute of silence was held in memory of those who lost their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy.
“March 8 is a day of struggle”
In a speech, Kurdish local politician Ruçem Vefa Elyakut stated that March 8 is a day of uprising and struggle for women. “Through the resistance of Kurdish women, March 8 has become a day of struggle and freedom,” she said.
Co-mayor Serra Bucak emphasized the importance of women’s organization, as women across the world fight for their existence. “Women organize for a new collective life. This organization was yesterday in Batman, today in Amed, and tomorrow it will be everywhere,” she said. “This is the time of women—and the time of peace.”
Message from political prisoners
During the rally, a message from political prisoners was also read. The statement was presented by Pınar Sakık Tekin, co-chair of MED TUHAD-FED (Federation of Legal and Solidarity Associations of Families of Prisoners and Convicts). The message stated that March 8 represents the continuing struggle of women—from Inanna to Maria, from Rosa to Sara. “The day is an expression of women’s resistance against oppression, violence and exploitation, and at the same time the voice of working women who defend life, nature and labor everywhere.”
“We want a different life”
Former HDP member of parliament and TJA activist Sebahat Tuncel then addressed the crowd. She emphasized that women discuss the struggle for freedom, equality and democracy everywhere—in the streets, in neighborhoods, in fields and in factories. “We want a different life,” Tuncel said. Women no longer want to experience violence; they do not want to die and they do not accept that children are abused. “That is why we are in the streets and in the squares.” March 8, she said, is not merely a symbolic day but represents resistance against oppression, exploitation and war. “By making every day a March 8, we will achieve days of freedom,” she stated.
Demand for peace and freedom for Öcalan
Tuncel also referred to ongoing wars and conflicts in the region, including in Kurdistan, Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. Women must stand against war and defend peace, she said. Referring to the current peace process in Turkey and the role of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Tuncel said: “Öcalan has said that another form of life is possible and that women are the leading force of this process.” She therefore called for his release and urged the parliament to take the necessary steps toward peace and democracy.
Remembering murdered women
DBP co-chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar also spoke at the rally. She recalled numerous femicides in Turkey and noted that twenty women had been killed in January alone. Uçar also referred to the Asayish fighter Deniz Çiya, whose body had been thrown from a building in Aleppo after her death. Women, she said, have resisted war and oppression in many parts of Kurdistan and the world. “From Zarife to Sara, from Beritan to Deniz Çiya, we possess a strong legacy of resistance,” she said. “This legacy forms the basis of today’s struggle for freedom.”
The rally finally ended with songs by the singer Beşer Şahin. Thousands of women continued the celebrations with Govend dances in the square.
Leave a Reply