The HPG Shengal Field Command issued a statement on the 3rd anniversary of the Shengal massacre and said they will continue to defend the Êzidî people. HPG stressed that the attacks on August 3, 2014 aimed to put the Êzidî people through a genocide and made the following call in the statement: “We call on all forces in Shengal who aim for the freedom of Shengal to come together in a joint command to come together in achieving the autonomous administration of the Êzidî people and their self defense, and to become the most basic triggering dynamic in Kurdistan’s national unity.”

HPG Shengal Field Command’s statement on the 3rd anniversary of the Shengal massacre is as follows:

“On the 3rd anniversary of the 73rd genocide, we remember all our men, women and children who lost their lives and all the fighters who lost their lives fighting until their last breath to defend our people against genocidal attacks. As we remember this day, we as the HPG repeat our promise to the heroes of this resistance to continue our struggle to take revenge from the treachery and the massacrist mind and to create the free life.

“On August 3, 2014, the Êzidîs, one of the most ancient peoples and faiths of the Middle East, were dragged into a process of genocide and annihilation in front of the whole of humanity for the 73rd time. Hegemonic powers that want to control the markets and political arena of the world and the Middle East and local regressive forces wanted to victimize one of the most ancient peoples of the Middle East for their own interest wars. The dark and dirty alliance of colonialism in Kurdistan and local regressive forces wanted to erase the Êzidî people from history.

THEY AIMED TO DISSOLVE ÊZIDÎS

“The Êzidî people both have the most ancient faith in the Middle East, and represent the purest version of the original Kurd, who managed to resist all colonialist and genocidal attacks. They are the carrier of democratic and humane values among the Kurdish and Middle Eastern peoples. Thus the barbaric and fascist annihilation attacks on the Êzidîs are attacks on the democratic identity and the free future of the peoples of the Middle East. The attacks on the Êzidî Kurds aimed to conquer the purest fortress of Middle Eastern communal culture and democratic values and eliminate the peoples’ longing for a common life in justice and fraternity. Our Leader and our movement saw the historic significance of the attacks on the Êzidî culture, the most ancient faith and the most democratic identity in the Middle East, much earlier, issued many warnings despite all obstacles laid out by the conspiring treason networks and colonialists and became the first force to intervene. The comrades our movement sent, dubbed by the Êzidî people as the “12 Horsemen”, worked in great strain and sacrifice to organize the Êzidî people’s self defense despite obstacles, attacks and arrests by the Kurdish co-conspirators. When the co-conspirator treason front left the Êzidî people to face a genocide with dirty alliances and treacherous plans, the freedom guerrillas of the Kurdistan mountains took off from several areas and intervened in the genocide. At a time when the whole world just watched the barbaric attacks develop and the regional powers fled, only the defending forces of the peoples of Kurdistan turned towards Shengal, made sure hundreds of thousands of people were removed from Shengal and organized the great counter attack, the Êzidî resistance. At the price of the 286 martyrs and hundreds of wounded comrades, they unfalteringly defended free Shengal to the end with great sacrifice.

WE WILL CONTINUE OUR MISSION TO DEFEND

“In pushing back the genocidal attacks and defeating the attacks targeting the very existence of Êzidîs, we have fulfilled an important mission. We as the Kurdistan revolutionaries will continue to unfalteringly resist any and all invading, looting and genocidal attacks against the peoples as required by the Apoist revolutionary responsibility and defend our peoples, wherever and whenever the attacks may come. But the real responsibility and duty starts after this point. The true role of the Kurdistan guerrilla is to explain and expose the reasons that led to the genocide and ensuring the people secure their own freedom by preparing them for a position of resistance through their own awareness, organization and defense against possible attacks and genocides. The best response for the genocide will be to remedy the lack of self-government and self defense for the Êzidî people that leads to genocides and treason, and turning the people into a force and will on the basis of their own cultural/religious/national values. On this basis, we will continue our mission to defend Shengal and the Êzidî people as long as the invasion attempts on Shengal, co-conspirators’ dirty plans and the Turkish threat still exist.

CALL TO DEFEND THE SELF GOVERNMENT OF THE ÊZIDÎ PEOPLE

“On this basis, we call on all forces in Shengal who aim for the freedom of Shengal to come together under a joint command on the basis of ensuring the autonomous administration and self defense for the Êzidî people, thus becoming the most basic triggering dynamic for Kurdistan’s national unity. We condemn the genocidal attempts and all forces who partake in them or turn a blind eye, and state that we will march to victory for the freedom of our country, the longing of our martyrs and Derwêş’s.”