Numerous activists, politicians and artists were arrested in Istanbul on Tuesday. Among the 21 people arrested and accused of “terrorist acts” are the chair of the Kadın Zamanı (Women’s Time) association, Dilek Başalan, activists from the Kurdish women's movement TJA and the Peace Mothers Initiative, DEM politicians and two musicians from the Mesopotamian Cultural Center (MKM). The association Kadın Zamanı held a press conference on Wednesday at its office in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul and clearly stated that the women's movement cannot be silenced. The association advocates for the rights of Kurdish women and works with the feminist movement in Turkey.

“The women’s struggle cannot be stopped”

“The women's struggle cannot be stopped” was written on the banner behind which Berivan Saruhan and lawyer Esra Biber read out the association's statement on the repression against Kurdish activists in Turkey. The statement was read in both Kurdish and Turkish. Esra Biber, who represents the association as a lawyer, explained that the judiciary in Turkey has lost its independence and acts "arm in arm" with the male-dominated government. The lawyer classified the arrests as a criminalization of women's work, as well as of all those who fight for an equal, free and humane life against the government’s sexist and misogynistic politics. Those who fight against this policy are called “terrorists” by the government.

Biber said: “The arrests of Dilek Başalan, the chair of our association, a human and women's rights defender who has been working for years to ensure that Kurdish women living in Istanbul have access to mechanisms to combat violence against women, our TJA friends, who have an active role in the struggle of Kurdish women and the women who advocate for the cultural rights of Kurdish women in the Mesopotamian Cultural Center are an attempt to silence the fight against the various rights violations that Kurdish women are subjected to."