World Women's Conference of grassroot women

Urgent call: Turkish state is committing crimes against humanity! 

The AKP government-state, which lost its majority at 7 June 2015 general elections due to the success of pro-Kurdish Democratic Party of the People (HDP), is plunging the whole country into misfortune. While dividing all people that live within the borders of the Republic of Turkey in followers and opponents, AKP has declared a total war against all people that do not stand behind. Main target of this total war is the Kurdish political movement as main force for democracy.

After it became totally clear that it is not interested in peace and a political solution for the Kurdish question, in April the AKP government stopped peace talks with the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan. On July 24, by starting to launch intense airstrikes against armed forces of the PKK, it officially ended the ceasefire. AKP, which betrayed the Turkish people’s hope for peace and a political solution, is immolating the life of dozens of people daily.

But the total war strategy of AKP is not limited to this. We are faced with a kind of fascism and oppression that go well beyond the 90’s. Parallel to statements from the most authorized AKP-representatives, like “Those who voted for HDP will pay”, AKP aims to make people kneel down and take revenge. Therefore in towns, where HDP got more than 90% of the votes during elections, like Silvan, Yüksekova, Varto, Silopi and especially Cizre people are under state terrorism regime. Since more than one week, Cizre with its population of 120 thousand people has been under siege. The Turkish state has declared a curfew there and killed at least 21 civilians, including children and women.

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Korrespondenz: 

Ulrike Held vom Bundesvorstand des Frauenverbands Courage als Traumatherapeutin im Irak:

„Wir wollen zurück in unsere Heimat, die Shengal-Berge“

so die  jezidischen Frauen im Arbat-Flüchtlingscamp bei Sulaymaniyah.

Im August dieses Jahres besuchten ich mit zwei anderen Kunst- und Traumatherapeutinnen und einer kurdischen Übersetzerin das Arbat-Camp bei Sulaymaniyah, einer Stadt im kurdisch-autonomen Gebiet des Nordirak. Dort regiert die PUK (Patriotische Union Kurdistan), im anderen kurdischen Teil die KDP (Kurdische Demokratische Partei) unter Barzani. Die Reise  war organisiert von Ceni, dem kurdischen Frauenfriedensbüro in Europa zusammen mit der kurdischen Frauenbewegung in Südkurdistan/Nordirak. Meine Teilnahme wurde vom Bundesvorstand des Frauenverbands Courage aktiv unterstützt.

Ziel der Reise war zum einen, in Deutschland  öffentlich zu machen, was die Jezidinnen beim Massaker des IS im August 2014 erlebt hatten und wie sie jetzt leben. Zum anderen eine erste Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe gegen zum Teil schwere Traumatisierungen sowie  die Weltfrauenkonferenz bekannt machen. Praktische Aufgabe ist, dort ein Traumahilfezentrum aufzubauen.

„Es ist schlimmer, im Krieg eine Frau zu sein als ein Soldat“, so ein kongolesischer Offizier vor ein paar Jahren. Das gilt bis heute, ob in Syrien, im Irak, im Kongo, in Nigeria. Daher ist der Zusammenschluss der Frauen im Weltfrauenprozess so wichtig. Die 2. Weltfrauenkonferenz wird im März 2016 in Nepal stattfinden.

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Urgent Call From Women in Turkey – Help Us Prevent Massacre! 

Last week Silopi, a city close to the Iraqi and Syrian borders of Turkey, was placed under siege by the Turkish military. Many civilians were wounded and killed with no accountability whatsoever, neighbourhoods were set on fire by the police and military. A delegation organized by the Women’s Freedom Assembly was on its way to Silopi in order to investigate what happened there last week and stand with the women and peoples of Silopi who are under attack. Upon hearing the troublesome news coming from Silvan – a town in the Diyarbakır province, however, this delegation changed its route,

           deciding to go to Silvan instead, and to stay in Silvan if necessary. This decision was made because we have seen what happens when entry into a town is forbidden by the military. We witnessed the results of this kind of isolation in Silopi last week, in Varto on Sunday, and today the same is happening in Silvan. Whenever towns are closed down, the Kurdish people living there are left face to face with the threat of massacre. The 15-person delegation of the Women’s Freedom Assembly is in Silvan today in order to prevent this from happening again. This delegation includes activists from various parts of the women’s movement, journalists and members of parliament.

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