Ankara- The Women’s Conference of the Party of the Greens and the Left Future (Green Left Party) has kicked off at the Education and Culture Center of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) in Ankara. 

400 women delegates from Turkey and Kurdistan have been attending the two-day conference being held with the motto, “We organize and defend our freedom with our rebellion”. The photos of Deniz Poyraz, who was killed in the attack on the office of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in Izmir on June 21, 2022, have been hung on the walls of the center. The women participating in the conference chanted Kurdish slogans such as “Jin, jiyan, azadî (Women, Life, Freedom”, “Bîji Serok Apo (Long live leader Apo)” and “Bê Serok jiyan na be (No life without the leader)”. 

Green Left Party Adana MP Tülay Hatimoğulları made the opening speech of the conference. 

‘Struggling for women’s freedom has never been easy’ 

After the opening speech, Green Left Party Co-spokesperson Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar made a speech. “Yes, struggling for women’s freedom has never been easy. Today, we are here by making great efforts and paying a heavy price. We have lost hundreds of comrades in the struggle for freedom. We keep struggling by shouldering the struggle of our comrades,” she said in her speech. 

 ‘We get strength from women’s solidarity’ 

In her speech, Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar said that they, as women, are advocates of peace against the policies of isolation and war. We stand together with all our differences, our voices and our words against those who try to intimidate our women's freedom struggle. We get strength from women, from women’s solidarity.” 

At the two-day conference, the participants will discuss many issues such as the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, sick prisoners, femicide and gender-based violence and they will determine a roadmap.