The 1st Middle East Women's Conference will open in Diyarbakır tomorrow. The conference is dedicated to the memory of Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan, Leyla Şaylemez, who were brutally murdered in Paris on 9 January.

"Jin, Jiyan, Azadi!" (Woman, Life, Freedom) as the conference has been called will be opened by speeches by Fatma Kaşan (DÖKH Democratic Freewomen's Movement activist), Aysel Tuğluk (DTK Democratic Society Congress Co-Chair), Gültan Kışanak  (BDP Peace and Democracy Party Co-Chair) and Leila Khaled  (PFLP Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine politburo member).

Different panels will be take place in the three days of the conference. Among these:
The Social History of Women and the Construction of Gender Discrimination in the Middle East (moderators: Sabahat Tuncel   (BDP İstanbul MP, HDK People's Democratic Congress spokeswoman, DÖKH activist) and Yüksel Mutlu (BDP Vice Co-Chair, DÖKH activist). Presentations in this panel will be given by Emine Özmen (DÖKH activist, Kurdistan/Turkey), Filiz Karakuş (Socialist Feminist Collective activist, Turkey), Malalai Joya (Independent, Afghanistan), Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi (Academician, Palestine), Rabab El-Mahdi (Academician, Egypt) and Shahla Ezazi (Academician, Iran).

On Saturday morning there will be a panel called "The Women's Movements Experience in the Middle East and its Role in Recent Political Changes". Moderators: Pelin Yılmaz  (BDP Women's Council spokesperson, DÖKH activist) and Songül Morsümbül (DTK Women's Assembly spokeswoman, DÖKH activist). Speeches by Ahlem Belhadj (Tunusia), Ala Kamal Ali (Iraq), Amal Wahdan (Palestine), Amneh Alfalah (Jordan), Enas Aldrsey (Libya), Evelyne Accad (Lebanon), Ewar Ibrahim Husen (Kurdistan/Iraq), Fatima Abdulla Abu Idrees (Bahrein), Fatma Bostan Unsal (Turkey).

More speeches will be delivered by Gul Kiziltas (Kurdistan/Turkey), Hanan Younes (Jordan), Haneen Zoabi (Palestine), Huda Kaya (Turkey), Houzan Mahmoud (Iraq), Ilknur Birol (Turkey), Jinda Yurttaş (Kurdistan/Turkey), Jiyan Yasin Rahman (Kurdistan/Iraq), Kayuş Çalıkman Gavrilof  (Turkey). And in the afterrnoon speeches by Khitam Alsaafin (Palestine), Lena Meari (Palestine), Najat Dau (Libya), Negin Sheikholeslami (Iran), Nour Elhoda Zaki Khdr (Egypt), Oya Ersoy (Turkey), Pervin Aslan (Kurdistan/Iraq), Rachida Ider (Kabilia/Algeria), Ramzia Abbas Aleryani (Yemen), Ranjana Kumari (India), Rawda Odeh (Palestine), Sahar Talaat (Egypt), Salma Said (Egypt), Salwa Guiga (Tunusia), Samira Ibrahim (Egypt), Samiran Ishak (Assyrian), Sara Abu Ghazal (Lebanon), Sarah Najam Husain (Pakistan), Sema Barbaros (Turkey), Shadi Amin (Iran), Shahenda Maklad (Egypt), Shahnaz Iqbal (Pakistan), Shiler Amini (Iran), Soraya Fallah (Iran), Sussan Tahmasebi (Iran), Viyan Suleman (Kurdistan/Iraq), Yüksel Avşar (Kurdistan/Turkey).

On Sunday the last pane will discuss "Common Problems Faced by Women's Movement Struggles in the Middle East and Possible Solutions". Moderators: Ceylan Bağrıyanık (DÖKH activist) and Yurdusev Özsökmenler (HDK Women's Assembly, DÖKH activist). Speeches by Leila Khaled (Palestine), Emine Zikri (Kurdistan/Iraq), Farah Barqawi (Egypt), Karima Ali Hefnawy (Egypt), Minoo Moallem (Iran), Nukhet Sirman (Turkey).