For 71 days, relatives of martyrs have been demanding at the northern Syrian border crossing of Sêmalka that the bodies of fallen guerrilla fighters be handed over by South Kurdistan’s ruling party, KDP.
Five guerrillas were killed and two others injured in the Xelîfan region in South Kurdistan as a consequence of an ambush by armed forces linked with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which is engaged in Turkey's activities against the Federal Kurdistan Region. Families of the two guerrillas from Rojava, Tolhildan Raman and Serdem Cudi, who are among the five slain guerrillas, have since been trying to cross from North and East Syria to the Kurdistan Region through the Semalka Border Crossing to receive the bodies of their martyrs.
The mothers and relatives joining the protest action in a tent at Semelka border crossing for 71 days have repeatedly been denied entry to South Kurdistan by the KDP forces, and have been put off with false promises. The KDP had recently promised to hand over the bodies of the martyrs to the families, but so far nothing has happened. The relatives are determined to continue their protest action until they succeed.
Dozens of people from Jazira Region Defense Office visited the vigil on Tuesday. Reading the statement on behalf of the activists, co-chair Sozê Qamîşlo saluted the guerrilla resistance and expressed their solidarity with the ongoing vigil at Semalka.
Defining the Semalka vigil as an “Action for Honour” and recalling the KDP ambush against guerrillas in Xelifan, Sozê Qamişlo called the attacks against the guerrillas and KDP’s attitude unscrupulous and immoral.
Sozê Qamişlo highlighted the resistance of the Rojava people which -she said- frustrated the attacks of the Turkish state and collaborator KDP.
Pointing to the Turkish state's latest attacks against Shengal and the KDP’s role in vicious plans targeting Rojava and Kurdistan, Qamîşlo condemned the betrayal of the KDP and vowed resistance, saying, “The revolution of the people cannot be defeated. We have the strength to defend all humanity, not only Rojava. This revolution achieved victory thanks to Leader Öcalan’s ideas and principles for women’s revolution.”
“Here, we are waging a struggle for our comrades, our martyrs. I am addressing our resilient people, families of martyrs, and the whole world; standing with the guerrilla resistance means defending humanity, defending the values of Kurdish, Assyrian, and Syriac people.”
