The European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E) and the European Kurdish Women's Movement (TJK-E) released a statement regarding the earthquakes that have hit more than 10 cities in Kurdistan and Turkey and declared a 3-day mourning in memory of the victims.

The statement released on Tuesday said:

“We declare a 3-day mourning to commemorate those who lost their lives in the earthquake that hit Bakure (North) Kurdistan, Turkey and cities in Rojava.

The AKP-MHP fascist government, which only promotes war and massacre in Kurdistan, does nothing but watch the disaster. Search and rescue operations carried out so far are insufficient. By allowing only the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the AKP-MHP government seeks to prevent aid efforts from reaching earthquake victims and to give priority to pro-government groups. The government plans to earn a profit even from such a major disaster. It even lays obstacles to the Turkish Medical Association sending medical equipment to the region.

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER CAME AMID WAR CONDITIONS

The lands of Kurdistan, where underground and surface resources have been seriously destroyed by the ongoing war, are now facing great destruction, material and moral disaster because of the earthquake. It is obvious that the fascist Turkish state, which is responsible for the massacre of our people and their material and spiritual suffering, will not take the necessary measures and aid in the face of this disaster. Therefore, we call on our people living abroad, our community centres, our components, our people, revolutionaries, democrats and intellectuals to mobilize against this disaster.

OUR PEOPLE ABROAD WILL SHARE THEIR BREAD

As in the previous earthquakes in Van, Bingöl and Rojhilat (Iranian Kurdistan), it is our national and moral duty to help our people in Bakur (North) and Rojava (West) Kurdistan without waiting for the state, with the support of our people in Europe, Canada and Australia, democrats from Turkey, European humanitarian institutions and individuals.

AID SHOULD BE PROVIDED THROUGH HEYVA SOR ACCOUNTS

We know that the Kurdish people abroad will provide material and moral support to our people hit by the earthquake by sharing their bread and resources with their brothers and sisters. All donations must be made through Heyva Sor (Kurdish Red Crescent) accounts. Everyone should mobilize to expand solidarity and cooperation.

CRISIS DESKS

In order to support our people in Bakur and Rojava, we have established crisis desks in joint efforts with all the confederations, federations, community centres, faith institutions and components affiliated with the KCDK-E. We should act on the following basis through the crisis desks:

1- Aids should be coordinated through the Heyva Sor organization so that they can reach the families in need urgently.

2- We urge all our community centres to visit the relatives of the people who lost their lives in the earthquake in their own cities and let them know that our associations will be sharing their pain and offering condolences.

3- We call on everyone in the country to open their homes to people whose houses were destroyed, and to increase solidarity in these difficult days.

We urge our people living in Europe, Canada and Australia to cooperate with the crisis desks established by our institutions to handle the disaster.

As the KCDK-E and the TJK-E, we offer our condolences to the relatives of the people who lost their lives in the earthquake and wish all our injured people a quick recovery."