World Women's Conference of grassroot women

World Coordinators of the World Women’s Conference of Grassroots Women
9 June, 2016

To the President of the Kurdish Region – Office for International Relations
president@krp.org

To the Department of Foreign Relations
drf@krg.org

To Hemin Hawrami – Responsible for KDP Foreign Relations
h.h.hawrami@hotmail.com

To the Special Advisor of the Prime Minister
ergoshi@hotmail.com

Declaration of Protest
To the President of the Kurdish Region in North Iraq
on the Repression against the Kurdish Women’s Office REPAK in Erbil

We are writing to you from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the MENA region as world coordinators of the 2nd World Women’s Conference of Grassroots Women. We are out-raged and strongly protest against the repression against the staff of the Kurdish Women’s Office (REPAK) and their office rooms on 5 June, 2016, which your government carries the responsibility for.
Without any legal basis, heavily armed security forces invaded the REPAK office, searched the rooms, confiscated identity papers and mobile phones of the staff, deported the women, threw them out and left them on the road between Erbil and Kirkuk.
We regard this attack on REPAK, on this organisation of the Kurdish liberation struggle and for the liberation of Kurdish women, as an attack on us as Worldwomen as well. The 2nd World Women’s Conference of Grassroots Women took place in March 2016 in Kathmandu/Nepal and 2000 women, representatives of the militant women’s movement from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America an the MENA region, participated in it. They again represent tens of thousands of women all over the world, who stand up for women’s rights, for freedom and democracy. Integral part of this movement is the solidarity with the struggle of the Kurdish women for liberation!
Meral Cicek and her fellow fighters are coordinators of the Worldwomen in the MENA region, they gave us Worldwomen deep insight and feeling for the Kurdish liberation struggle which has been going on for centuries and they contributed decisively to making the 2nd World Women’s Conference a success.

We will make this outrageous incident public everywhere!
We strongly demand the instantaneous handover of the identification papers, of the mobile phones, as well as of all confiscated objects from the office rooms!
We demand the immediate re-opening of the office and its work without any restriction!
We are convinced that this repression will not deter REPAK from continuing to work for the rights or the Kurdish people.

The world coordinators of the World Women’s Conference of Grassroots Women
from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the MENA region

Download Protest declaration:
160609 Worldcoordinators of World Women s Conference Protest against repression of REPAK – US