Dêrsim- A commemoration ceremony was held at the building of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Dêrsim for Sakine Cansız (Sara), a Kurdish female politician, who was murdered in Paris on January 9, 2013.

At the commemoration, DEM Party Dêrsim MP Ayten Kordu made a speech. After the massacre in Paris, Abdullah Öcalan said, “This is a second Dersim massacre.” Recalling the words of Abdullah Öcalan, Ayten Kordu said, “Comrade Sakine played an important role in the struggle for freedom. Thanks to her, this struggle continues today. Comrade Sakine always said, ‘My Whole Life Was a Struggle’. She always struggled against the deniable mindset that aimed to destroy and annihilate the Kurdish people. She sacrificed her life for this struggle, enlightening our path. The struggle of not only our Comrade Sakine Cansız but also our five comrades has an important place in the Kurdish women’s freedom struggle.”

 ‘We will maintain their struggle’

Ayten Kordu also said that they were determined to maintain the struggle of the murdered women. “We must struggle more. Today, the isolation imposed on Mr. Abdullah Öcalan has been partially lifted. We have a responsibility to maintain their struggle in all facets of life.”

After her speech, DEM Party Van MP Gülcan Kaçmaz Sayyiğit also made a speech on the massacre that took place in Paris on January 9, 2013. “Since then, a political warfare has been implemented against the Kurdish women. Many of our friends such as Hevrin Khalaf were murdered. We will not allow the perpetrators to go unpunished and we will struggle for this.”

In her speech, Gülcan Kaçmaz Sayyiğit also commented on the ongoing attacks on North and East Syria and the killing of two Kurdish journalists, Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan. “This system does not allow us to practice our language, our religion or to mourn. We must embrace this struggle by knowing this.”

“The state has a mindset aiming to prevent women’s struggle for freedom,” said Berivan Bahçeci, Spokesperson of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Women’s Council. “It (the state) does not want women to organize themselves. The murder of our female comrades in Paris, in the heart of Europe, is the continuation of this mindset. Many women such as Nagihan Akarsel, Hero Bahaddin and Gülistan Tara were targeted and murdered. We commemorate all women who lost their lives while struggling for freedom. We will maintain their struggle. We will maintain the struggle of Sakine Cansız, who said, ‘My Whole Life Was a Struggle’.”