"Against war, exploitation, isolation and racism, women defend peace" - was the title of an event organized by the Women's Council of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Amed (tr. Diyarbakir) on Friday. The event, held at the Taş Mahal café in the old city's Sur district, was attended by numerous activists from the Free Women's Movement (TJA) and civil society organizations.

HDP Vice Co-Chairwoman Meral Danış Beştaş said in the welcoming speech, "We are fighting not only for Kurdish women, but for all women. The struggle of Kurdish women has taken an international dimension. At this point, I would like to salute all women who dedicate their lives to this struggle and pay a heavy toll for it. We all know the origin of our problems. Repression, assimilation, denial and violence continue to increase every day. Abdullah Ocalan has been held in special conditions on the prison island of Imrali for 22 years. One of the contents of the women's movement is the struggle against isolation. Without women's liberation, society cannot liberate itself. If half of the society is enslaved and affected by violence, the other half cannot be free. Without lifting isolation and ensuring equality, there can be no peace and our problems cannot be solved."

The view that the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan only affects the Kurdish people is wrong, the HDP politician explained: "Abdullah Öcalan does not only represent the Kurds. He stands for the coexistence of all peoples. There can only be peace if the Kurdish question is resolved. We tried to do that between 2011 and 2015. The peace process was ended by the rulers. The Kurdish question can only be resolved democratically. Abdullah Öcalan said that he could solve the problem within a week if he was given the opportunity. That is why the struggle against isolation is so important for us."

Beştaş called for support for the hunger strike of political prisoners, which has been carried out in groups since last November: "The prisoners must not be left alone, we must stand up for their demands outside. We must fight against the isolation of society. To oppose isolation means to stand up for peace and a solution. It means to stand up against a system of feminicide, exploitation and destruction of nature. Fighting against isolation means fighting against an aggressive foreign policy, against sending soldiers all over the world and against collaborating with Islamists and other gangs. It means defending society and building a democratic society."

HDP stands in solidarity with the women in Afghanistan, Meral Danış Beştaş further said in her speech, stressing that the peoples must liberate themselves through their own efforts. "For this, women must fight in an organized way. In the heart of the Middle East, there are women who have defeated ISIS. They have shown the whole world how to fight. Turkey is craving for an alliance with the Taliban, but we will not allow that. As women, we fight against isolation, feminicide, assimilation and racism."

After Meral Danış Beştaş's speech, the event continued with a performance by the music group of the Dicle Firat Cultural Association.