Yousra Darwish and Lîman Şiwêş laid to rest

Two Kurdish women politicians, Yousra Darwish and Lîman Şiwêş, who were killed by the Turkish drones on June 20, were sent off on an eternal journey.

News Center- Thousands, including the representatives of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), Kongra Star, TEV-DEM and relatives of martyrs, gathered in Amuda town of the Qamishlo Canton for the funeral of Qamishlo Canton Co-chair Yousra Darwish and her deputy Lîman Şiwêş (Nom de guerre: Rîhan Amûdê), who were killed by the Turkish drones on June 20.

 ‘The enemy targets pioneering women’

 At the funeral, Hêvî El-Sayed, Co-chair of the Martyrs' Families Council in the Qamishlo Canton, made a speech. “This crowd shows that no force can demoralize us and defeat our will. First, I would like to express my condolences to leader Öcalan (Abdullah Öcalan) because he is a hero of women. The enemy targets pioneering women because it is afraid of women,” she said in her speech.

‘We will stand firm until the hopes of the martyrs come true’

“The invading Turkish state has been intensifying its attacks in order to support terrorism and the invasion of Syria,” said Telet Yûnis, Co-chair of the Executive Council of the AANES in Cizre. “Rihan was a fighter, a resister and a militant while Yousra was a smile, a teacher, an administrator, a leader. Fırat was self-sacrificing and a hero. Our people must follow their own path and gather around their own administration to defeat genocidal policies. We will stand firm until the hopes of the martyrs come true.”

 ‘Rihan is Kurdistan’

At the funeral, Rûken Ehmed, coordinating member of the Kongra Star, made a speech on behalf of all women’s organizations in North and East Syria. Speaking about Lîman Şiwêş (Nom de guerre: Rîhan Amûdê), she said, “Rihan is Kurdistan because she had been in Amuda, Kobanê, Qamishlo, Afrin, Amed, Mahabad, Sulaymaniyah and Hewler (Erbil). The people of Zagros and Botan have been waging a unique struggle. After the defeat of ISIS in the region, she came to Manbij and worked for her people. She struggled for 38 years in order to be the voice of free women.”

 

‘We will not allow our land to be invaded’

In her speech, Rûken Ehmed said that Erdoğan took action to protect ISIS after the decision of the AANES to prosecute ISIS members. “We have to liberate Afrin, Serekaniyê, Girê Spî, Ezaz and Jarablus. We promise not to allow another paradise in our region to be invaded.”

 

After the speeches, Yousra Darwish and Lîman Şiwêş were buried in the Martyr İsmail Cemetery.