Kurdistan Women's Freedom Party (PAJK): Kurdish people will not give up their struggle at any price

First published at ANF English.

On the night of 19 November, the Turkish army began a series of heavy airstrikes on Rojava. The attacks targeted the civilian population and the defence forces of the region. The Kurdistan Women's Freedom Party (Partîya Azadîya Jin a Kurdistan - PAJK) issued a statement titled "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî, a new phase of struggle has begun!"

PAJK pointed to 25 November, the day for the elimination of violence against women, and described the Turkish aggression also as an attack on free women. The response to the attacks of the patriarchal system, it said, should be mainly to organise and expand the struggle. The PAJK also commented on the terrorist attack in Istanbul and stated that the Turkish state has used this attack as a justification for new attacks on the Medya Defence Zones and Rojava. According to PAJK, it is a plot in which the Turkish state is involved through the MIT intelligence service.

Government caught red-handed at Taksim

The statement said: "Already in the first hours after the attack at Taksim, Süleyman Soylu, the Minister of Organised Crime [meaning the Ministry of Interior], tried to twist the background of the crime by targeting our movement and the autonomous administration of Rojava. Public opinion in Turkey has the responsibility to clarify all the details of the attack in Taksim without neglecting any detail. The fascist AKP/MHP government was caught red-handed in the Taksim attack. Such a government threatens the security of life and the future of all peoples in Turkey.

The bomb exploded in their hands

The all-out air attack on the Medya Defence Zones and Rojava is meant to destroy the democratic future of the Kurdish people, Turkey and the Middle East. The Turkish state, which does not accept the free life or the existence of the Kurdish people, is developing new terrible plots and attacks. Turkey tried to convince the international public with lies and distortions, but the bomb exploded in their hands. The attack plan of the AKP/MHP government has collapsed. The people of Turkey should not slacken in demanding accountability from the fascist power that committed this crime against their people."

No power will achieve its goal by shedding Kurdish blood

With regard to the attacks on Rojava and the Medya Defence Zones, the PAJK also assigned co-responsibility to Russia and the USA for the attacks that began after the G20 summit. The PAJK statement said: "No power will achieve its goal by shedding Kurdish blood. In the 21st century, the Kurdish people will not give up the struggle to protect their existence and secure their freedom at any price. They will continue to demand accountability for these attacks and by responding with resistance, they will achieve the goal of a free, democratic Kurdistan and Middle East together with the other peoples of the Middle East. All our people will rise up and demand accountability until the criminal and contra regime of AKP/MHP is destroyed. At the same time, they must wage an effective struggle against the policies of the states involved in this crime, the USA, Russia and the EU. We offer our condolences to the families and all the people of Kurdistan for those who lost their lives in these brutal attacks.

The ruling system is helpless in the face of women's struggle

We express our love and gratitude to the women who carry forward the heritage of matriarchal culture and human values in Kurdistan, the Middle East and the world, and who struggle and resist against the patriarchal ideology and the state system. Women have created a new reality based on the philosophy of 'Jin, Jiyan, Azadî' [Woman, Life, Freedom]. The path of women and peoples in freedom runs with the heritage of the Mother Goddess culture from the past to the present. From the struggle of the Mirabel sisters to Roza, from Sara to Aysel, Delal, Bêrîvan, from Jiyan, Nagihan and Helbest to Jîna Amini, this deep-rooted historical heritage has manifested itself in hearts and bodies with the 50-year struggle of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement. By commemorating the martyrs of the women's freedom struggle in this way, we remember with respect, love and gratitude the fallen comrades who resisted the fascist, genocidal mentality of the male state in Zap, Metîna and Avaşîn to protect the values of free life in the name of human dignity.

As Kurdish women and Kurdish people, we are living through a time of the most difficult struggle. The genocidal attacks of the fascist Turkish state continue with all cruel means and methods. The same attacks are being carried out by the capitalist system and patriarchy against women. There are still multiple attacks on women in all areas of life. The whole society is attacked in the person of women through sexism, chauvinism, scientism and fundamentalism. The ruling system and the patriarchal state feed themselves and their ideology through the massacres of women and try to break the struggle and organised will of women through all kinds of violence and inhuman practices to keep themselves in power."

A struggle that has a clear goal knows no obstacles

Speaking of attacks against women on many different levels, PAJK said: "The reason for the severity of the attacks against women and the violence perpetrated against them lies in the inalienable truth of women. A strong, organised will and the common struggle of women can oppose these aims and multiple attacks of the male state. In this system, women and society are given no other chance of survival than that of slavery, lack of will and organisation and lack of struggle. In Kurdistan, with the historical appearance of Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] and the departure for freedom, a revolutionary struggle and resistance based on free women, free life and humanity has emerged. Rêber Apo defined the liberation of society as the liberation of women."

The PAJK remembered the Mirabel sisters, who were murdered by the Dominican secret service on 25 November 1960 and marked the day for the elimination of violence against women, and stated: "Throughout history, women have permanently fought against the sexist mentality of the states and patriarchy. They have never allowed themselves to be subjugated by oppression and injustice. Today, women's struggle, organisation and resistance are carried out on the same basis, with the same aim and philosophy. No obstacle can stop a struggle that has a clear goal. The stage that the women's struggle has reached is clear. Based on the philosophy of 'Jin Jiyan Azadi', the struggle of women has entered this new period of struggle."

Give meaning to November 25 through organising

The PAJK underlined that the slogan "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" has now reached the whole world and concluded the statement by saying: "Women are fighting with this conviction and belief. Undoubtedly, they pay a high price, deepen their awareness of freedom and strengthen their will. Most importantly, however, they are developing their organising. On this basis, they give even more meaning to the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Building world women's confederalism

We as PAJK are expanding our struggle and strengthening our organisation on the basis of unity and common women's struggle. We strengthen our resistance on the basis of the philosophy of free life, equality and democracy, and we see the progress of this struggle as the basic measure of success. The basic principle to fulfill these tasks is to organise and extend the struggle. We women no longer want to live under the umbrella of capitalist modernity. Women everywhere are taking steps to build their own system, the system of democratic modernity. Because in the 21st century, the project of world women's federalism is the fundamental solution project.

With this determination and conviction, we salute the struggle and resistance of revolutionary women in Kurdistan, the Middle East and the world. We salute all the women in Eastern Kurdistan and Iran who are not giving up their resistance and ideals of freedom despite the strong repression, torture and murderous attacks of the Iranian regime. On this basis, we express our determination to complete the women's revolution and persevere in our struggle."