In 2013 the PKK founding member Sakine Cansız (Sara), the Pairs KNK representative Fidan Doğan (Rojbîn) and Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahî) from the Kurdish youth movement were murdered by a killer from the Turkish secret service MIT. Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir, People's Democratic Party (HDP) MP, talk about the killings to ANF.

It is no coincidence that the murders took place at the beginning of a peace process, says the HDP politician adding: “It was an internationally organized political murder. It happened on the initiative and with the knowledge of various forces. And it is precisely because of this that this crime, which took place in the heart of Europe, has not been fully investigated. The audio and written documents that have appeared in the media show that the crime was organized by MIT. However, the truth was prevented from emerging."

The killings were an attack on the peace process

Taşdemir adds: “At historically decisive points, when important social developments were launched, there were always political murders and provocations. The Paris massacre was also committed at such a time. Because of Mr. Öcalan's efforts, the state had embarked on a new path to solve the Kurdish question. A new era began for Turkey. The hope for a democratic Turkey in which the Kurdish question will be resolved had brought new hope. This opportunity, however, was to be blocked by the attack. The attitude behind this attack still prevails today."

"The murders are an expression of the fear of the women's liberation struggle"

Taşdemir describes the revolutionary attitude and the life stories of the three women murdered in Paris as symbols of the women's liberation movement and its internationalization. She says: “Sakine Cansız, in particular, is a symbol of women's liberation and her life story is emblematic. The Paris killings are an expression of the fear felt towards the women's movement. Eight years have passed since the massacre. The struggle for freedom of women is today a driving force in the whole world and arouses admiration. This is also a result of the struggle and the work of the three Kurdish revolutionaries and a sign of the determination of women. In this sense, those murders represent an attack on women's freedom struggle."

Taşdemir also recalls the murders of the three Kurdish politicians Sêvê Demir, Fatma Uyar and Pakize Nayır by Turkish security forces on 4 January 2016 during the curfew in Silopi and points out the many leading women: “We know that there is a policy against the identity of women and their dignity. Those who follow a line of freedom have been targeted by this dirty policy."

"The spirit of resistance continues"

As to the unwillingness to bring the truth about the Paris killings to light, the HDP deputy says: “The documents and the large amount of evidence show that international powers have tolerated the murders, to say the least. But even if years pass, the Kurdish women will not give up their fight to expose the truth. We will continue with the same spirit of resistance and determination."