Free Women's Movement (TJA) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Women's Assembly held a regional rally under the motto "We promote life against femicide and freedom against isolation" in Van's İpekyolu district as part of the activities to mark March 8 International Women's Day. The Musa Anter Park where the rally was held was decorated with purple and white balloons. A banner that read "Our revolt is for our freedom!" was hung on the stage.

Hundreds of women from many cities, including Ağrı, Kars, Iğdır and Hakkari, attended the rally in their traditional clothes. The women carried signs in their hands with the slogans “Jin, jiyan, azadî” (Woman, Life, Freedom) and “Bijî berxwedanan jinan (Long live the resistance of women).” The women danced to Kurdish songs for a long time.

The rally started with a minute's silence in memory of women who lost their lives in the struggle for democracy. HDP provincial co-chair Handan Karakoyun, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) provincial co-chair Gülderen Varlı and Star Women's Association head Serap Güvenç made speeches celebrating March 8 and rejecting violence against women.

TAŞDEMİR: HISTORY IS WRITTEN WITH RESISTANCE

HDP Ağrı Deputy Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir pointed to the struggle of women in prison, women fighting ISIS and politicians such as Sakine Cansiz.

Noting that they have made history with the resistance of women, Taşdemir said, "The AKP government has been fighting against women for 18 years. They consider the co-chair system a crime. Therefore, they arrest women and close women's institutions. However, the women do not bow the knee and keep resisting."

MESSAGES FROM TUNCEL AND YÜKSEKDAĞ

Messages sent by imprisoned politicians Figen Yüksekdağ Sebahat Tuncel were read out at the rally.

In her message, Yüksekdağ said, “I salute all comrades who have been on hunger strike and resisting in Turkey’s prisons for 102 days to break the isolation and I congratulate March 8, International Women's Day".

Sebahat Tuncel said, “Those who need freedom the most are those who lack it the most.  We women are thirsty for the freedom that has been denied to us for millennia; now we want to become a river of freedom and flow. Not only for ourselves, but for everyone who needs freedom. We rebel against femicide, harassment and rape. We rebel against the exploitation of our labor at home and at work. We will rebel against war, discrimination, murders and isolation... I salute all women who take to the streets and sing songs of freedom and peace. I congratulate the International Women's Day."

Women chanted slogans saluting the prison resistance after the messages.

KOÇYİĞİT: WOMEN RESIST FOR A FREE LIFE

The program continued with the speech of HDP Muş Deputy Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit who said the following, "We will continue to resist. We are in the streets and squares side by side after a long break. Even this long break has not diminished our resistance. Our rebellion, our anger, our objection have been sharpened. Today is the day we turn this objection, anger and rebellion into an organized struggle against the male system."

BAŞARAN: HERE WE RESPOND TO THE AKP RULE

After Taşdemir, HDP Women's Assembly spokeswoman and Batman Deputy Ayşe Acar Başaran appeared on the stage. Saluting the women who filled the area, Başaran sent greetings to the imprisoned women politicians Figen Yüksekdağ, Sebahat Tuncel, Gültan Kışanak, Şevin Alaca, Ayşe Gökkan and Leyla Güven.

Başaran said that the AKP-MHP alliance built itself on monism. "A year ago, they tried to put us in houses on the pretext of the pandemic. The AKP-MHP alliance attempted to remove the Istanbul Convention during this process and targeted women's institutions. The government has criminalized the co-chair system, which is our purple line, so we will continue to protect it against their monist, nationalist, religious system.”

Başaran continued, “Political prisoners are currently on hunger strike against the aggravated and illegitimate isolation imposed on Mr. Öcalan. These hunger strikes had been started under the leadership of Leyla Güven before. Yet the government arrested our comrade Güven and sentenced her to 22.5 years in prison. That is why we say that the demands of the prisoners who have been on hunger strike are our demands.

Special warfare methods are used against Kurdish women in Kurdistan. In Batman, a young woman was raped by a specialist sergeant, and this person is walking outside freely. The Interior minister is targeting our female friends who reject the system he wants to establish. Women's resistance will overthrow your reign. Women will rule this country. They will rule in a system where all peoples will live equally.

I call out to all women from here; We are not alone, we are strong. We draw our strength from women who have resisted for thousands of years. Let's not let men subject us to violence in our homes. Let's say our rebellion is our freedom, our organization is our self-defense against male domination. Let's say municipalities are ours. We will push back misogynistic rulers with female resistance."

After Başaran's speech, singer Pınar Aydınlar took to the stage. The rally ended with the women performing a long traditional govend dance to the accompaniment of songs by Aydınlar.