ttps://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/activities/womens-alliance-for-kurdistan-iraq-and-syria/

  1. Protests as Turkey pulls out of treaty to protect women20 March 2021/The GuardianThousands protested in Turkey on Saturday calling for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reverse his decision to withdraw from a binding treaty to prevent and combat violence against women.In Istanbul’s Kadıköy neighbourhood, protesters with purple flags and banners took to the streets chanting: “We are not scared, we are not afraid. We shall not obey.”
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/20/turkey-pulls-out-of-international-accord-designed-to-protect-women?__FB_PRIVATE_TRACKING__=%7B%22loggedout_browser_id%22%3A%22555890337c0c1f82857ad13458636f9438e3d452%22%7D

  1. Statements do not Suffice, Concrete Steps are Needed
    26 March 2021/Anasayfa
    On 20 March 2021 and the days following, many thousands of women took to the streets to protest President Erdoğan’s midnight decision to ‘withdraw’ from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (İstanbul Convention). They faced, once more, an excessive response from the police. Nonetheless, women’s rights organisations, the LGBTI+ community, and human rights groups, have continued their protests to overturn the decision. Several bar associations, among others, have brought an appeal to the Council of State challenging the ‘constitutionality’ of the president’s decision. https://www.sivilsayfalar.org/2021/03/26/statements-do-not-suffice-concrete-steps-are-a-must/?fbclid=IwAR2g93KbhygFyBAXc_nxxTGrkZ1pYnBCnwr3xS434x3wso5dJwZ4QI7SMns

 

  1. Germany says Turkey sending ‘wrong signals’ on human rights after dropping women’s protection pact & banning pro-Kurdish party
    22 March 2021/RT.com
    Recent actions taken by Turkey with regards to human rights are concerning to the EU, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said, as Ankara and Brussels continue to lock horns on a range of policy matters.Turkey’s decisions to withdraw from an accord designed to protect women from abuse and to ban a pro-Kurdish political party raise questions about Ankara’s commitment to upholding human rights, Maas suggested.
    https://www.rt.com/news/518781-turkey-human-rights-germany-maas/
  2. Turkey and Iraq must take their hands off the Yazidi community, says Meral Çiçek
    15 March 2021/ANF English
    Meral Çiçek from the Kurdish Women’s Relation Office (Navenda Pêwendiyan a Jinên Kurd) REPAK highlighted the latest developments about KDP forces road closures in Shengal as well as the Iraqi governments cooperation with Turkey against the Yazidi people and Kurds. Çiçek also talks about the roots of the current tensions, the impact on women, and the role of Turkey in destabilizing the whole region.
    https://anfenglish.com/features/turkey-and-iraq-must-take-their-hands-off-the-yazidi-community-says-meral-Cicek-50637
  3. Women`s Resistance Panorama From 8 March 2020 to 8 March 2021
    7 March 2021/Peace in Kurdistan Campaign
    Women`s Resistance Panorama From 8 March 2020 to 8 March 2021. The past year from March 8 2020 to March 8 2021 has been marked by increased feminicidal attacks by the patriarchal system and women’s resistance to these attacks. In the past year, which passed more or less under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, male violence was named the “shadow pandemic” because the patriarchal mindset and its system deepened its feminicide in this time. The patriarchal system has taken maximum advantage of the conditions under Covid-19 and made use of it in its war against women. That’s the reason why the fascist government in Turkey has set free imprisoned murderers of women for ‘health reasons’. Both, Turkey and the populist Polish government tried to take advantage of the opportunity to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
    Panorama

 

  1. Turkey: Women defy ban to march on IWD
    10 March 2021/Green Left. Com
    Thousands of Kurdish and Turkish women and LGBTI groups in Istanbul defied a government ban to march on the eve of International Women’s Day on March 8.
    https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/turkey-women-defy-ban-march-iwd
  2. Online panel discusses Turkey’s intelligence activities, murders and threats abroad
    10 March 2021/ANF English
    Antoine Comte recalled the murder of three female revolutionaries on January 9, 2013 in Paris. He pointed to MIT’s hitman Ömer Güney and also mentioned an “assassination order” signed by the MIT administrators. Noting that the signatures in this document were confirmed by the German authorities, Comte added, “It is clear that the MIT organized the murders in Paris.”
    https://anfenglish.com/news/online-panel-discusses-turkey-s-intelligence-activities-murders-and-threats-abroad-50545

 

  1. Our Kurdish sisters are leading the way
    9 March 2021/ANF English
    Internationalist women from Britain sent messages to celebrate Kurdish women on 8 March 2021 International Women’s Day.
    Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters; Roza Salih, human rights activist; Sarah Glynn, women rights campaigner; Katie Higgins from KSN JİN and Women Strike Assembly interviewed by journalist Erem Kansoy.
    https://anfenglish.com/women/our-kurdish-sisters-are-leading-the-way-50508

 

  1. Kurdish Women’s Stories- Interview with Houzan Mahmoud
    5 March 2021/Washington Kurdish Institute
    The Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI) interviewed Houzan Mahmoud. Ms. Mahmoud is a Kurdish feminist, writer, public lecture, and anti-war activist. She is the co-founder of Culture Project, an online and print magazine that gives a platform to Kurdish voices. She has written for the Guardian, Open Democracy, Independent, and New Statesman.
    https://dckurd.org/2021/03/05/kurdish-womens-stories-interview-with-houzan-mahmoud/

 

  1. Who are the Syrian Kurdish women fighters who took down the Islamic State?
    Al Monitor -Podcast
    Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the inside story Bestselling author and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Gayle Tzemach Lemmon speaks to Al-Monitor about her new book, The Daughters of Kobani, which tells the story of the women who fought on the front lines of the war against the Islamic State in Syria.
    https://www.al-monitor.com/podcasts/2021/02/who-are-the-syrian-kurdish-women-fighters-who-took-down-the-isla.html#ixzz6qmaIgySN

 

  1. TJA activist sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in jail
    31 March 2021
    The hearing of TJA (Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad, TJA) activist Gülcihan Şimşek was held at Diyarbakır 11th High Criminal Court on Wednesday. The female activist is accused of “being a member of a terrorist organization”. Şimşek did not attend the hearing where her lawyers were present. The prosecutor reiterated his opinion in the previous hearing, demanding to sentence Şimşek for “membership in a terrorist organization”.
    https://anfenglish.com/women/tja-activist-sentenced-to-7-years-and-6-months-in-jail-51024

 

  1. VIDEO Dilar Dirik
    Recording of webinar on Kurdish Women’s Resistance and Justice-seeking against occupation and feminicide
    https://youtu.be/TC695DT8m0Y

 

  1. ROAR Roundtable: A feminist response to the pandemic
    19 August 2020/Roar Magazine
    The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the essential roles care work and reproductive labor fulfill in our societies. But will it lead to gender liberation?
    https://roarmag.org/essays/roar-roundtable-feminist-struggle/

 

Peace in Kurdistan

Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question

Email: estella@gn.apc.org

https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peaceinkurdistan1/

Contacts Estella Schmid: 07846 666 804 & Melanie Gingell: 07572 430903

Patrons: John Austin, Baroness Blower of Starch Green, former GS NUT, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP,  Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director,  Jill Evans, former MEP, Desmond Fernandes, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Christopher Gingell, Prof Dr. Michael Gunter, Secretary-General, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC), Rahila Gupta, journalist, Nick Hildyard, policy advisor,  Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert, former MEP, Dr Les Levidow, Open University, Elfyn Llwyd, John McDonnell MP; Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, David Morgan, journalist, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Ali Gul Ozbek, Former Councillor and Mayor of Haringey; Gareth Peirce, Dr Felix Padel, Maxine Peake, actor, Dr Thomas Phillips, Liverpool John Moores University, Trevor Rayne, writer, Joe Ryan, Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Stephen Smellie, PIK Trade Union Liaison Officer, Jonathan Steele, journalist,  Steve Sweeney, journalist,  Gianni Tognoni, General Secretary Permanent People’s Tribunal, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Federico Venturini, Associate Researcher, University of Udine, Italy; Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward, former MEP, Kariane Westrheim, Chair, EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC); Hywel Williams MP.