NEWS CENTER - Demanding to know the whereabouts of the three RJAK member women detained by the KDP missing for the last 10 days, RJAK Spokesperson Soma Ferhad stressed that what happened was not a coincidence and that they will continue their struggle at all possible platforms despite the oppression.

 

Kurdistan Free Women's Movement (RJAK) members Xewla Mihemed Hesen, Ciwana Ebdulbaqî and Seyran Ehmed Hesen attended the commemoration of the massacre of the Shengali carried out by ISIS on the anniversary of the massacre and were detained by the KDP forces after the event. No one have heard from the women in the last 10 days and no response were given to the applications made by RJAK about the women.

 

RJAK Spokesperson Soma Ferhad stated that the detention of women is not a coincidence and said, “We are trying to find out where they are and where they are being held. All 3 of our friends are Iraqi citizens. They can go anywhere they want, legally. Ferhad noted that they do not consider the detention of women who have been detained and who could not be heard from, as ordinary on the anniversary of the ISIS attacks on Shengal.

 

Pointing out that the approach to women in the region is the same as in Turkey, Ferhad said, “Last year, our friend Semira was arrested in an event we held for women. The reason for her arrest was her participation in women's struggle."  Ferhad said that there were attacks by the government against the demands for freedom and democracy in the region, and continued,  “You can't even protest the murder of a woman. Those who raise their voice against it are either detained or tortured. As a women's institution, we are faced with a major obstacle. Our institution is blocked even though it is official. But of course, despite all the tyranny we are exposed to, we are here and we are resisting."

 

WOMEN'S MURDERS

 

Underlining that the main reason for the increasing violence against women in the region is the government's policies, Ferhad said, "Women's murders and violence against women in Iraq have reached the highest level in these recent years. The government legitimizes violence against women in the region with current methods and practices. The murdered women are either their spouses or their daughters. Those who kill women are not punished. Or they are given the lightest punishment. Men who murder women are protected in the courts."

 

RESISTANCE

 

Emphasizing that they, as RJAK, did not remain silent in the face of these attacks and continued their struggle, Ferhad said, “The government is afraid of free, conscious and struggling women. As a result, they attack us and arrest us. They want women to be quiet, to sit inside the house and serve the man. They want women who will serve their agenda. When we look at the administration of the government, we see that the majority of the authorities of the region are men. This shows us that the government does not trust women and does not want women to take part in the administration. As RJAK, we stand against this, therefore we are targeted. But no matter what they do, we will be out in the streets and we will resist."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut