In a written statement on Monday, the Kurdish Women's Movement in Europe (TJK-E) condemned the torture and murder of Mahsa Amini from Rojhilat (East) Kurdistan by the morality police in Iran.

The TJK-E commemorated the women who were murdered in the person of Amini, saying that “As women, it is our basic motto to increase the common struggle everywhere and to exercise our self-defence”.

The TJK-E statement includes the following:

“Mahsa Amini was tortured to death by the Iranian morality police. As the Kurdish Women's Movement in Europe, we condemn this femicide with anger and hatred. The torture and killing of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman once again exposed the misogynistic policies of the Iranian state. In the 21st century, femicide, torture against women and forced marriage still exist as sexist practices of this male-dominated mentality. Women have always defied these femicidal policies which have ignored women and legitimized murders throughout history.

Women, the main source of social history and collective sociability, have resisted for change and freedom and faced all forms of attacks from sexist militarist male domination during every moment of social fractures that take place in favour of male-dominated powers. The body, identity, personality, labour and freedom of women, who have been murdered for thousands of years, still face more serious attacks today. The Iranian state contributes to femicides the most and legitimizes sexism against women. It bears a grudge against contemporary women's uprising, the struggle for freedom and solidarity, since it rejects the notion of a free and combative woman. The patriarchal system, which believes that women's freedom and social leadership can be suppressed and silenced by femicidal policies, feels anxiety and anger in the face of the rising demand for women’s freedom.

Women are protesting domination, harassment, rape, femicides and violations of rights in order to live a free, equal, fair and secure life against the sexist exploitation system in Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan, as in anywhere else. The only way to prevent systematic femicides is to develop the common struggle of women. As women, it is our basic motto to increase the common struggle and exercise our self-defence everywhere.

On this basis, we once again commemorate the murdered women in the person of Amini. We call on all women to raise the struggle against femicides and to be the voice of Amini.”