Imprisoned HDP female MPs send messages for March 8, International Women’s Day. HDP Co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ, HDP MPs Besime Konca, Çağlar Demirel, Selma Irmak, Meral Danış Beştaş and Gülser Yıldırım sent their messages from prisons on International Women’s Day.
Imprisoned HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) female MPs send messages for March 8, International Women’s Day. HDP Co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ, HDP MPs Besime Konca, Çağlar Demirel, Selma Irmak, Meral Danış Beştaş and Gülser Yıldırım have welcomed March 8, International Women’s Day behind the bars.
Figen Yüksekdağ: The women will destroy the dictatorship, fascism and monist percept. We don’t make vain propaganda while saying that women will break the fascism, dictatorship and monist percept. We base this on a concrete foundation. Women are the most natural organizers of “No”. Because we know that the women have built their beings throughout history by saying “No”. We could truly live when we said “No”. We become women, free and ourselves as we say “No” to the husbands, boyfriends, bosses and state; in shortly to all male dominated institutions. As women, what we will do today is to spread this willpower; the will of the resistance and refusal, in order to build our own alternatives. On March 8, we will yell our power, the power of refusal, at sovereigns once again, a thousand times and a millions times again in the streets, areas and squares: No! We will build another life!”
Besime Konca: Greeting to all resisting women, we become the fear and nightmare of the tyrants. Our consciousness and will of the women’s freedom that has been sharpened in our history with resistance and struggle will definitely fail fascism imposed on us. The brave women, who didn’t leave their homes in Cizre, Silopi, Nusaybin and Sur during the blockade defied to fascism and unmasked the male-dominant system with their honorable stances. Even though we are in prison, we will be worthy of this historical heritage, we will be insistent and resister of women’s freedom by overcoming the boundaries of time and space. I am greeting all women resisting and March 8 strike. We are pround to be with you with the slogan “Jin Jîyan Azadî” (Women Life Freedom). The freedom will win with resistance of the women.”
Çağlar Demirel: I am greeting Amed’s honorable women, who never leave their identity, culture, language and freedom, with respect and love. I believe that women’s improving and organizing power and our honorable struggle that we carry out with our labor will be the hope for free future. I wish a happy March 8, International Women’s Day to you. I was with you last year on March 8 and now I am held hostage for my speech on March 8 rally. I wished to be with my female comrades, meet our mothers and visit home by home with you on March 8. Fascist practices of political ruling hold us behind bars by separating us from you. But they cannot block our demand for freedom and our slogan jın jiyan azadi.
Selma Irmak: It is expected that all women in Turkey become pioneers by organizing the resistance and raising the hope of succeed against those who want to bring a darkness future step by step. Building a democratic and free life is possible with women’s faith, determination and organized power. Yes, we are welcoming a new March 8 while violence against women increases day by day. But there is a slogan, “Every day is riot, every day is resistance!” We know that women’s struggle will continue until building a new life and a livable world. I want to recall the Revolution in Rojava is a women’s revolution and it is revealed the women’s power and I say; “Don’t forget that every action started by women definitely win”. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish a happy March 8, International Women’s Day to all women resisting everywhere from Silivri Prison.
Nursel Aydoğan: Peace doesn’t come without women’s struggle. Equality cannot be ensured without women’s struggle. The rights of laborers in homes, fields and factories cannot be taken without women’s struggle. We must celebrate March 8 that is an important day for women’s struggle, by saying, “Every day is March 8, struggle and resistance for us”. I wish a happy March 8, International Women’s Day to all women.
Meral Danış Beştaş: We are in dark and difficult tunnel where the sovereign is trying to ignore the struggle for democracy and equality over the struggle and existence of women. Despite all these difficulties, we continue our struggle with our determination and upright stance on the first day. We are in factories, streets, fields and politics, shortly in everywhere. Our struggle grows day by day and embraces all society. I wish a happy March 8, International Women’s Day to all women from Silivri Prison.
Gülser Yıldırım: Our living spaces have been completely targeted by the State of Emergency (OHAL) produced by male politics. We are passing through darkness days in which women are killed, rape and sexual assault are tried to be legalized, violence against women is encouraged, and women’s organizations founded by resisting have been seized, female politicians have been taken hostage, women defending their living spaces are being killed. The AKP government’s enemy policy against the Kurds and hate against the women; came to light once again by trying to ban the March 8 rally by Diyarbakır Governorate and detaining 23 women by beating them during March 8 protest in Urfa. The revocation of our Co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ’s parliamentary membership is a multidimensional attack against women. Figen Yüksekdağ is the only female co-chair in the parliament. Women’s will and the will of the peoples living in Turkey have been ignored in the person of Figen. We don’t recognize the AKP’s policies of war and misogyny. Women struggle standing up for women’s identity and conscious will win.
Source: Gazete Şûjin
