Call for justice after seven years of impunity: Enough is enough!

Seven years ago Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez were murdered in Paris by the Turkish secret service. Until today, no one has been prosecuted for the crime. The Kurdish women's movement in Europe calls for a demonstration in Paris.

"From Sara to Hevrîn - We rose up for justice, we resist for freedom": This is the motto under which the Kurdish Women's Movement in Europe (TJK-E) called for a demonstration in Paris on the occasion of the murder of the three Kurdish revolutionaries Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez seven years ago.

The call for the demonstration on 11 January includes the following:

“On January 9, 2013, three of our Kurdish revolutionary friends were killed by the fascist Turkish state in the French capital, Paris. In the seventh year after this inhuman attack, we commemorate Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez with great respect and gratitude and condemn this vile attack once again with all our anger and abhorrence.

These three resilient and at the same time creative revolutionaries, the leaders of the women's freedom struggle that started in Kurdistan and has become global today, were murdered by the ugly and dirty complicity of the forces of the last representative of the patriarchal spirit, the capitalist system.

Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez continued with their lives, their thoughts and their struggle the thousands of years old search of women for a free and egalitarian life. The philosophy, the attitude, the ideology and the resistance of Kurdistan women's freedom struggle has again and again revealed a great sense of responsibility for freedom in the most different places. From yesterday until today Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, Leyla Qasim* and Zarife** stand for the dignified attitude of women.

The murder of the three great Kurdish revolutionaries, Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan and Leyla Şaylemez was carried out by the exploitative Turkish state and the fascist dictator Erdoğan as part of his genocidal denial and occupation policy. Those responsible for this crime carried out in the French capital were brought to the public attention by the Kurdish people and their friends. However, the French justice system has not fulfilled its duty to bring those responsible for this crime to justice. The judicial system of the Turkish state has not yet shed light on the dark side of this crime, neither to the Kurdish people nor to humanity.

Just as the French and EU judiciary did not move out of its culpable position of silence in the face of the crime on 9 January 2013 - even though they knew the murderers - states such as Germany, the US and Russia are proving once again that they want to maintain their position of silence for all the world to see in the face of the genocidal attacks, massacres and occupation by the Turkish state with its criminal army ISIS against the Rojava revolution. The occupying state of Turkey, the regime of fascist Erdoğan is holding on to its aim of exterminating members of the Kurdish, Arab, Armenian, Assyrian and Turkmen people and first of all women. The main target of these attacks is the rising revolution of women in Rojava, the revolution for freedom and democracy. We consider the assassination of Hevrin Xelef of the Syrian Future Party, Amara Renas of the YPJ and Mother Aqide as a continuation of the crime committed in Paris on 9 January 2013, which was aimed at us women. These attacks on women, who raise their awareness, organize themselves, resist for a free, democratic and egalitarian life, are continued in front of everyone as a war of annihilation against all humanity.

We, women of Kurdistan, the Middle East, Europe, America, Asia and Africa, will not keep silent today as we did not keep silent yesterday. We will continue to demand account from the murderers of Sakine, Fidan, Leyla, Hevrîn, Amara, Aqide and those who remain silent. Our struggle for freedom will produce many women like Sakine and Hevrîn and multiply our voices and expressions of anger as we make it global. With the spirit and resistance of Sakine and Hevrîn we will realize the building of a free and democratic society. We will stand up and increase our resistance everywhere. We will not abandon our determination to enhance our organization and thus prove ourselves worthy of the women who gave their lives for the freedom of our peoples and women.

In this sense, on the seventh anniversary of the triple murder of Paris, we stand with all women like Sara and Hevrîn, as well as freedom of resistance and justice. We continue our struggle for justice with the slogan "Seven years of impunity - enough is enough! Thus we bow once again before Sakine, Fidan, Leyla, Hevrîn, Amara and Aqide in respect and gratitude.

Let us be in Paris on 11 January to bring to justice those responsible for the triple murder of Paris and the forces of the patriarchal ruling system that attack the Rojava Women's Revolution. Woman, life, freedom! Jin Jiyan Azadi! La Femme La Vie La Liberté!”

*Leyla Qasim was executed in Baghdad in 1974. She said to the judge: "Kill me - but you must also know that after my death thousands of Kurds will wake up from their deep sleep. I am happy to die with pride for an independent Kurdistan! She had also campaigned for women to take part in the struggle.

**Zarife played a major role in the Dersim uprising in the 1930s.