YJŞ (Shengal Women's Units) Commander Hedar Reşît has commented on the democratic autonomy declared in Shengal.

Reşît spoke to Rojnews and said: “We as the YJŞ state that we are ready to fulfil whatever duty that falls on us in protecting the Êzidî people’s decision for autonomy and any other decisions they might make.”

“THEY REACHED A LEVEL OF SELF GOVERNANCE”

Reşît said the following:

“As you know, the Shengal Constituent Assembly announced the Democratic Autonomy roadmap on August 20. As the YJŞ, we had assessed this decision before and we celebrated it. This project had been announced to the national and international public as a 28 point roadmap. It had strong points in it. There were important points included, from a commission to work in the international arena, to the forces that are included and the will of the Êzidxan to govern themselves. The Êzidî people have earned the right to govern themselves and make their own decisions. Because they have been facing attacks for millennia, and they have responded to each of these attacks with struggle and resistance.

Governments and colonialists can’t stomach this decision. They want this people to always be under their control and act according to their decisions. As you know, the Democratic Autonomy Project announced in August 2014 was in a sense a response to the enemies. That decision was made on an important day and an important month. In the 73rd firman in 2014, both colonialists and traitors played a role. They aimed to destroy this people. Of course they were met with a great resistance. HPG and YJA Star, the main forces of the PKK, protected this people and this mountain with the resistance of YPG and YPJ fighters from Rojava. They protected the people of the Êzidxan. This was a great response. This revealed that our people are now governing themselves, making their own decisions and have reached a level of awareness where they are defending themselves.”

“WE WILL DEFEND IT UNTIL THE END”

Reşît said the Kurdish people should support the democratic autonomy of Shengal and added:

“The Êzidxan has a great historic significance. Everybody knows that. The people of Kurdistan should know that their roots lie here and fulfil their duty to defend these lands. Another matter is the YBŞ and YJŞ, who were born from the massacre imposed upon the Êzidîs and grew from there, defending Shengal as the self defense forces. As announced before, the YBŞ-YJŞ will defend the people of Êzidxan, wherever they may be. As the YJŞ we are prepared to fulfil any duty that falls on our shoulders and defend to the end the democratic autonomy decision made by our council to have our people as a will. The existing groups and forces will work in tandem. We had announced before that we are to act with a right understanding of defense so our people can become a will and that we are prepared.”

CALL ON THE PEOPLE AND THE WOMEN

YJŞ Commander Hedar Reşît said, “We are calling on all peoples and all women to create an alliance,” and concluded her words: “We are calling especially on the Êzidî women, come, let’s be one and let’s defend ourselves. We consider this project by the Êzidî people to be very important. We are happy for it. The YJŞ grows every day with Rêber Apo’s ideology of women’s liberation and taking important steps toward the freedom of women every day.”