The 5 days-long sit-in in front of the Council of Europe (EC), European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Commission for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) buildings in Strasbourg continues in its third day.

The sit-in led by KCD-E (European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress) and TJK-E (European Kurdish Women's Movement) is being joined by hundreds of people from Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

The protest aims to break the European institutions’ silence towards the massacres of the Turkish state, led by Erdoğan and the AKP, in Kurdistan. Hundreds of protestors are calling for dropping Turkey’s membership in the European Council, bringing an end to the ECHR’s approval of the massacres in Kurdistan, and ending the isolation of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. Banners, posters and photos of Öcalan decorate the 40 meters-long tent in which protestors carry out their sit-in.

HDP Şırnak deputy Faysal Sarıyıldız who was in Şırnak's Cizre district during the course of the most recent onslaught for over 2 months, has attended a panel discussion in the area today.

'STRONG RESISTANCE, IMMORAL WAR'

Speaking here, Sarıyıldız pointed out that people in Cizre mounted strong resistance in the name of human values against the immoral war waged by the state against the people. He continued; "Look at the photos released from Cizre. It is not any different from the Germany of the 1940's and the Spain and Beirut of the 70's. Every inch of the town has been destroyed and demolished, yet the state prides itself on this. This is a quite immoral attitude."

'EUROPEAN STATES ARE RESPONSIBLE'

"Everyone of us has a part in the massacre", said Sarıyıldız, adding the followings; "True, our people mounted strong resistance. They did not bend the knee. The state massacred people without ever discriminating between children, youths and elderly. People were burnt to death in basements of atrocity. We, too, are responsible for this massacre for having failed to prevent it and raise a strong voice against it. European states are also responsible for this massacre because they remained silent on it."

MEETING WITH MUIZNIEKS

Following the sit-in which will last till Sunday, a delegation including Sarıyıldız will have a meeting with Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks.