Amed (Diyarbakır)- Newroz began to be celebrated in Kurdish cities and Turkey on March 15 with the motto, “It is the time of freedom and victory”. Yesterday, the Newroz celebrations took place at Amed’s Newroz Park with the participation of more than one million people.

NuJINHA spoke to women at the Newroz Park. All interviewed women demanded freedom and peace and said that they were determined to ensure the physical freedom of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.

 ‘The Kurdish people will achieve success’

    

“Kurdish people are always in favor of peace and fraternity, not war,” said Emine Barut, one of the women who attended the Newroz celebrations in Amed. “Peace must be achieved now. We have struggled for years and we should achieve peace. All political prisoners must be released. I came here to demand peace and freedom. We do not want to be enemies of anyone but we are always subjected to enmity. The Kurdish people will definitely win. The Kurdish people will achieve success. We came here to voice our demands for peace and freedom.”

‘Our enemies should see today’s enthusiasm’

Emine Barut also drew attention to the upcoming local elections in Turkey. “We do not want trustees (appointed mayors). The trustees should go from our homeland. I call on all Kurdish people to support the DEM Party (People's Equality and Democracy Party) in the elections and reflect their will. We will resist to the end. Our enemies should see today’s enthusiasm and understand that they will not never intimidate us.”

‘I am here to demand freedom of leader Apo’

    

Mensure Akdemir told us that she attended the Newroz celebrations in Amed to demand freedom for Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and all political prisoners. “I came here to demand freedom for all political prisoners, leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) and Selahattin Demirtaş. Newroz means resistance and struggle,” she said. “Today, we came here to resist. We demand peace not war. In the local elections, we will vote for ourselves and send the trustees from here. We will always resist and take to the streets for peace and freedom.”

‘We demand peace and freedom’

    

Mukaddes Bayram wished this year’s Newroz to bring peace and freedom to the Kurdish people. “Today is our holiday and we came here to celebrate our holiday. Newroz means unity and solidarity, an uprising against betrayal. I wish this year’s Newroz to bring peace and freedom to the Kurdish people. I wish a happy Newroz to everyone. We demand peace and the lift of the isolation (Isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan). We demand the end of this war. Long live peace, freedom and the DEM Party.”

‘Leader Apo must be free’

    

Ayşe Zengin demanded the lifting of the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan. “We are here today for our people and all oppressed people. Newroz means struggle and freedom. Political prisoners have been on a hunger strike to protest rights violations against them. We demand the end of rights violations against them and freedom for leader Apo and all political prisoners. I call on all Kurds to unite. The local elections are approaching and we should unite to send the trustees back. We do not want the trustees.”