“Gültan Kışanak is also our candidate,” say hundreds of feminists in Turkey who declared their solidarity with the Kurdish politician running for mayor of Ankara in the 31 March local elections.
Hundreds of feminists from Turkey are supporting the candidacy of imprisoned Kurdish politician Gültan Kışanak in Ankara. Gültan Kışanak was arrested in 2016 as co-mayor of Amed (tr. Diyarbakir) and is running for mayor of Ankara for the DEM party in the local elections on 31 March. Because she is in prison, her election campaign is being run by other women. The DEM party's women's election office in Ankara today announced the support of 636 women from the feminist movement in the country.
"As feminists who have been leading a women's freedom struggle together with the Kurdish women's movement for years, we declare that Gültan Kışanak is also our candidate," said Fatma Nevin Vargün at the press conference. During her time as a member of parliament, the Kurdish politician was the voice of the struggles for women's and labour rights, peace and democracy and, as mayor of Amed, she implemented a gender equality policy that enabled women to participate in decision-making processes, said Vargün and continued: "We know first-hand how she tried to change women's lives with women's counseling centres, women's shelters, gender-equitable employment policies and by developing means of participation in the city, contrary to the male-dominated mentality that sees local governments as a profitable area of infrastructure policy. As feminists who have fought for women's freedom together with the Kurdish women's movement, which includes Gültan Kışanak, we say: Gültan Kışanak is also our candidate."
After the declaration of support, lawyer Ebru Günay from the campaign group "With Gültan to Ankara" read out a letter from Kışanak from Kandıra High Security Prison, which read: "Dear feminist companions, I have learned that you have organised a signature campaign in support of my candidacy for Ankara. Thank you very much and I am very happy to be one of your comrades-in-arms. I have always felt the power of the saying 'solidarity keeps alive' and the warmth of women's solidarity in my heart. I am glad that you exist and that we are fighting together for a free and equal future."
