Recording of session of the Peace in Kurdistan Social Ecology Network on “Kurdistan: Ecocide and Forced Demographic Change” Sunday, May 8th at 2pm GMT

Two of our members, Sonia Karimi and a representative of The GreenTress Initiative, made presentations followed by a group discussion. The meeting was chaired by Connor Hayes and Amber Huff, members of the PIK Ecology Steering group.

The topics to be addressed were as follows:

Sonia Karimi holds a BSc in English Literature and Colonialism, is a member of the PIK Ecology steering group, and works with the Community of Free Women Rojhelat (KJAR). Her talk will focus on the ecological crisis in Iranian Kurdistan, or Rojhelat, including deforestation, water shortage caused by water redirection, and soil erosion and toxification from mining, as well as uprisings that have come in protest against the ecological situation in Eastern Kurdistan.

The GreenTress Initiative is an ecological organization based in Rojava, North and East Syria. In their talk, they will offer an introduction and overview of the GreenTress initiative, the effect of the Turkish invasion on the ecological situation in North and East Syria, the position of GreenTress within the democratic confederalist system, and the role that can be played by international solidarity in their work.