Faris Herbo, Shengal Assembly Executive Board co-chair, said the meetings with the Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Ocalan were invaluable.

Stating that Öcalan's message to the Yazidi people is very meaningful for the people of Shengal, Herbo said: “Mr. Öcalan's letter pleased the Yazidi people and the Yazidi institutions and organizations. The resistance of the people against the isolation imposed on the leader brought isolation to an end.”

Öcalan sent greetings to the Yazidi people during the meetings he had with his lawyers in Imralı. “We are writing a new history for the Yazidis. In this process, Leader Apo endorsed and took responsibility for the Yazidi people. We have gone through a hard phase as a people. We have been subjected to massacres, and to religious, language and culture genocides. Öcalan's message is very valuable for the Yazidi people. Öcalan advocates Êzidîxan freedom.”

We will defend our people

Pointing out that Yazidi people proved capacity of resistance and heroism despite the massacres and genocide, Herbo continued: “There is no room for surrender in the Yazidi people. Between 1990 and 1997 the Leader spoke about the necessity to organise. The occupying forces blocked the possibility to organise. After the Saddam regime collapsed, an awakening took place in the Yazidi society. The Leader warned us after the explosions in Sêbaş Xidir and Til Êzir. During that time in Iraq, al-Qaeda wanted to destroy the Yazidis. The government of South Kurdistan dominated Shengal in 2014. They did not give the Yazidis a single chance to get organised.” 

Herbo ended his speech by referring to Öcalan's message to the Yazidis and to the Dewresê Evdî saga: “When ISIS entered Shengal, there was a heroism under the leadership of 12 cavalry. Thousands of young Yazidis were kidnapped. After Shengal was freed from ISIS, the establishment of YBŞ-YJŞ was declared, thousands of Kurdish youth fought against ISIS showing a historical resistance, which continued until Raqqa and Dêir ez-Zor. Resistance was the situation that the Leader has talked about for years. In the leader's message there are details resembling the saga of Dewreşê Evdî. Today, the epic of Dewreshê Evdî is being experienced. We will continue this epic in a resisting and organized way."