Peace in Kurdistan issued a statement demanding justice for the victims of the Paris attack and all Kurds.

The statement said: "Just as everyone was getting ready to enjoy the extended family holiday of Christmas and the new year, the Kurdish community of Paris was dealt a devastating blow as three of their members were slain in an ugly unprovoked terrorist attack.

An alleged assailant with a record of racist violence was quickly detained and the attack was even more quickly described as a random act aimed at "foreigners" not specifically targeting Kurds."

The statement added: "Rightly the Kurds did not believe this. Shocked and angered by another murderous attack on their community, protests were spontaneously organised where demands were voiced for justice for the victims and wider demands for political rights.

The French authorities were regarded with suspicion because of their close relationship with Turkey. The timing of the incident was seen as too much of a coincidence, coming almost exactly ten years after the murder of the three Kurdish women activists, Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Soylemez, whose case is still unresolved with the perpetrators remaining unpunished.

Kurdish suspicions that Turkey somehow has a hand in the latest killings are rational fears and not unfounded allegations. What is required is a totally thorough, impartial, fair, open and transparent investigation and judicial process to allay all suspicions and bring justice for the victims. Nothing less is acceptable."

The statement continued: "Turkey has complained to the French authorities that little has been done to check anti-Turkish sentiments during the protests held in the wake of the killings. Turkey's efforts to influence European policy only add to the suspicions of the Kurds, who have suffered unceasing repression during the years of Erdogan's reign of power. Ankara has been lobbying hard to compel its European allies to clampdown on Kurdish organisations and has sought to have Kurdish activists extradited. All the while, repression of Kurds inside Turkey has continued unabated as the regime has waged war against the Kurds in Syria and Iraq.

Tensions have been inflamed as a result of the latest killings in Paris. Feelings are inevitably fraught. Kurds feel that they are not being listened to and that their demands are being ignored." 

It should be remembered that the Kurdish community in Paris are not economic migrants but political refugees who simply are unable to live freely as Kurds in their own country. At present there is little prospect of peace and no serious effort is being made to mediate a peace process. If anything, the political situation in Turkey is worsening by the day. The Kurds are all too aware of the threats they face. They now fear that they can no longer live at peace in their place of exile. The murder of Ermine Kara, Sirin Aydin and Abdurrahman Kizil in Paris on 23 December has provoked fear and consternation among the Kurds across Europe. But the deaths have also galvanised the Kurds into action to seek a solution and to ensure that their voices are heard.

Peace in Kurdistan extends its deepest sympathies to all those who are grieving the loss of their friends and we demand justice for the victims and for all the Kurds. It is time for political leaders in Europe to listen to the Kurds and seriously address their demands.