Campaign in Latin America for the freedom of Zeyneb Celaliyan

ANF, BUENOS AIRES ─ The International Kurdish Women’s Movement and the Kurdish Solidarity Committee in Argentina have launched a joint campaign calling for the release of Zeyneb Celaliyan, who is still in prison in Iran despite her illness. Meetings to gain support for the petition with various women’s organisations and women deputies in Buenos Aires have been held within the scope of the campaign as well as with the trade unions, political parties, human rights organisations and women lawyers.

In the meantime, a rally was held on 21 May in front of the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires, attended by women’s organisations, members of trade unions and people from social movements. The crowd carried the posters of sick prisoner Zeyneb Celaliyan and of Ferînaz Xosrewanî, who threw herself from the 4th floor balcony of a hotel in Mahabad to avoid being raped by members of Iranian Intelligence.

The campaigners wanted to hand over the signatures collected to the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires. However, the Embassy did not accepted the delegation comprising Laura Morrone, a member of the Buenos Aires Autonomous Region parliament, Nora Cortinos from the Plaza de Mayo Mothers, Maria Alvares from the Socialist Movement and Melîke Yaşar from the Kurdish Women’s Movement. The Embassy previously announced that it will accept the delegation, however then refused to do so during the rally in front of the embassy building.

Speaking at the rally, Laura Marrone said they had come together in solidarity with Kurdish women who are waging a struggle against male dominance and male dominant states, adding that the Kurdish women’s struggle was against the most brutal form of violence, although Argentinian women also suffer from increasing male violence. Marrone said the fact that they are not welcomed in the Embassy proves the male dominant character of the Iranian state and added that they will continue their struggle against the Iranian state and its embassy.

Marrone said the women will step up their struggle and added: “Long Live Zeynep’s freedom and the memory of Ferînaz”.

Nora Cortinos from the Plazo de Mayo Mothers also made a short speech, saying that the attitude of the Iranian embassy shows that they do not want to talk to women and added that women know very well how to react against this male mentality through the history of their struggle. Cortinos said the Iranian embassy should know that the mothers will always be in solidarity with Kurdish women and will continue to struggle until Zeynep Celaliyan is free.

In the meantime campaigns for the release of Zeyneb Celaliyan have also been launched in Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia, where Kurdish Solidarity Committees are active.

FIRAT NEWS AGENCY