Beritan Saria: Leyla Guven is against policy of women extermination

The Turkish state targets all women who come to the forefront of a free society in the struggle against the authoritarian regime of the Turkish state, especially Kurdish women in Northern Kurdistan and Rojava. Journalist Saria Baran said in an interview with our agency that the co-chair of the Democratic Society Conference and Parliament for Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Leyla Guven , did not back down from her goals despite all the circumstances, and therefore she was a target for the authorities.

The Turkish state has targeted co-chair of the Democratic Society Conference and Parliament for HDP, Leyla Guven, over the past two years. Why Leyla Guven in particular?

We all know that there is a fascist regime in Turkey. To consider the history of the Turkish state since its establishment on racial grounds, it has not been transformed into a democratic state at any stage, as all components that remained outside the Sunni and Turkish framework were subjected to repression, persecution and massacres. In 2015, the fascism reached its climax with the arrival of the Justice and the Nationalist Parties Coalition to power, and Leyla Guven is a political woman, leads people, and is engaged in a democratic struggle against the fascist state, so the Turkish state has imposed a system of torture and isolation in Imrali since 2015 against the leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Leyla Guven took a firm stance towards this policy, which made her a target for the authority. She was arrested first because of her previous position on Afrin resistance, and on November 7^th, 2018, she announced an open hunger strike in protest against the isolation system imposed in Imrali against the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and when she announced the strike, she said: "I started the political work according to the directives and ideas of the leader Abdullah Ocalan regarding the participation of women in politics, and today the leader Abdullah Ocalan is subjected to severe isolation. I declared a hunger strike against this isolation, and from now on I will not plead myself in the courts." The truth is that these words have very important meanings.

What message they want to send by arresting Leyla Guven?

The truth is that what is targeted in the person of Leyla Guven are women politicians and democratic politics. The Turkish state is an anti-democratic state, so it does not tolerate democratic politics. The Democratic Society Conference and the Peoples' Democratic Party consider the Kurdish issue as the main issue in Turkey, and on the other hand, the Turkish state, under the leadership of the capitalist system, targeted the leader Abdullah Ocalan.

 They do not want the leader Ocalan's directives to spread in the world, and by tightening his isolation, they seek to silence the leader Ocalan's voice, so that it does not reach the public opinion. Leyla Guven rejected this matter, and the Democratic Society Conference and the Peoples' Democratic Party adhere to the principle of co-presidency, but the Turkish state refuses this system categorically because it originally does not tolerate the existence of women in the field of politics, and does not bear women to practice politics, lead society and develop relations with society, so it arrested Leyla Guven again. It is not just about Leyla Guven. As you know, when isolation on the leader Ocalan tightened on April 5, 2015, more than 20,000 HDP members were stopped and more than 10,000 of them were arrested, and this matter also indicates that the Turkish state does not tolerate democratic politics.

You mentioned Leyla Guven's identity, what does this matter in the struggle for women's freedom?

 It is important to analyze and discuss the issue of identity of women represented by Leyla Guven, and at the present time Leyla Guven says that she entered the world of politics under the influence of the ideas and directives of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, in which he demanded the need for women to participate in politics.

Having regard to the positions of politicians and social institutions that struggle for the freedom of the Kurdish people on that principle, the principle that Ocalan advocated, we find that there is a link between the freedom of society and the freedom of women, as it is said that the degree of freedom of any society is measured by the degree of freedom of women.

Since 2007, the co-presidency system has been adopted, and the truth is that the Turkish state has put the co-presidency system within the framework of the democratic program, but currently this system is not recognized in any way. Women currently play the leadership role, whether in the Democratic Society Conference, HDP, or the rest institutions, participate in politics and work actively and effectively, in return, the Turkish state pursues a policy of "kill women first", and it did so earlier, but this mentality has reached high levels, where all vanguard women are targeted, and Leyla Guven is a clear example of this.

The Turkish state continues, at the instigation of some circles, to practice the policies of repression, violence and rape against Kurdish women in particular. What is the evaluation of these policies that target women?

Women are particularly exposed to rape at the hands of the police, and the youth and women are marginalized through the policies of extermination and drug promotion, while the Turkish state, instead of prosecuting rapists, is working to protect them. We witnessed the rape of Epic Er who committed suicide after being raped by the police officer Musa Orhan, but Musa Orhan was never arrested. In addition, lawyers and several human rights organizations issued statements on the matter.

 So far, no person who committed rape has been arrested in Turkey, and in particular the soldiers and officers have not been punished. Kurdish women are particularly vulnerable to this policy, and Turkish women must also be careful because this policy also affects Turkish women, Turkey has turned into a cemetery for women.

 Many women are killed on a daily basis there, while they do not find any protection about it, and many of them are threatened by their ex-husbands, but there is nothing to protect them, on the contrary, courts stand by men, as they are released, or reduced penalties are imposed against them.

Violence and oppression pursued by the Turkish state on political grounds against women in Northern Kurdistan also is also extending to the regions of north and east Syria, so what is your opinion of this issue?

We are facing a country that considers the model of ISIS a role model. It is a policy based on sexual discrimination. An important person like Leyla Guven, a politician who leads society through her positions and principles, is charged with "terrorism", and she is sentenced to 22 years and 3 months in prison. On the other hand, the situation in the regions of north and east Syria is clearly visible, where there are women of ISIS. The truth is that the Turkish state seeks to establish a model for women which is the model of ISIS women, as it wants women not to think, not to organize their affairs, and not to lead society. It only seeks to consolidate the model that consents to slavery.

 They are women who have children and are considered a marriage machine, women who satisfy all aspects and principles of the male authoritarian system, women who give birth and care for new individuals in favor of the male authoritarian system.

We see this clearly in the areas occupied by Turkey. We see how ISIS is turning women into slaves, and they are subject to kidnapping, killing and rape. The Turkish state is the strategic forum for these methods, and ISIS kidnapped women in Şengal, assaulted them and killed them, that attack and assault took place at the hand of the Turkish state. There are still a thousand women whose fate is unknown. In Afrin, 7,000 people have been kidnapped so far, including women emerged in Ankara, as it has been shown that ISIS elements are trading in kidnapped women in Ankara. In Afrin, 674 people have been killed so far, including 65 women. In addition, 68 women have been subjected to sexual assaults, as the woman's body and identity are assaulted, as well as the women's community. This geography is subject to attacks, and various forms of crimes are committed.

How was Leyla Guven's position on this situation?

Leyla Guven thwarted this scheme from her positions, and she turned into the voice of the avant-garde women, she considered the stage well, knew what she had to do, and became an avant-garde pioneer for the people. she studied the reality of isolation well, and saw that the Kurdish community is facing a plan of extermination.

 Therefore, she insisted on continuing her activities, and all detainees, politicians, and friends of the Kurdish people added their voice to Leyla Guven's voice, and supported her activity. Thus, the echo of this event spread throughout the world, and the Turkish state is now seeking revenge against Leyla Guven, and the liquidation of one of the vanguard women, but on the day she was arrested, Leyla Guven said: "I can flee, and if I wanted so, I would have left the country, but I did not leave, and I will continue resistance." Once again she confirmed the continuation of the resistance.

What should be done to be the echo of Leyla Guven's voice?

This resistance will continue, and it is necessary for all the peoples of Turkey and the Kurdish people to rally around the resistance of Leyla Guven, and they must add their voices to the voice of Leyla Guven's resistance.

In this very sensitive stage, the struggle led by Leyla Guven, who defended her and people's values, and played the pioneering role in this struggle, must be escalated, so that we can convey the voice of Leyla Guven and her comrades, we must be their voice and their struggle must reach victory. It is necessary for us to escalate struggle and exert more efforts, organization and activities, and intellectuals, politicians, journalists and all other sectors of society must escalate activity and struggle against the arrest of Leyla Guven and the rest of the Kurdish politicians.

 Only in this way, can we guarantee the physical freedom of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and the truth is that there are striving efforts to ensure the leader's freedom and break his isolation. Based on this matter, all categories of society and the Kurdish people must engage into a great and comprehensive resistance.

For you as journalists, what have you done concerning Leyla Guven's resistance?

For us as journalists working in the regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and for me as a member of the Kurdish people, I derive morale and determination from the resistance and positions of Leyla Guven.

It is a source of inspiration for us, women like Leila Guven are considered the pioneers of society, they are the source of morality, the source of inspiration and morale for it, we will work together to rally around the resistance of Leyla Guven.

Female fighters engage into a great resistance and struggle in the mountains in order to limit societal genocide and eliminate fascism, and politicians in Turkey, young women and all feminist movements engage a relentless struggle, and so is the case for women in Rojava, where they show great resistance. Women may be targeted in the occupied territories, as well as women politicians and vanguards. On June 23^rd, 2020, vanguard political women from Kongra Star were targeted, but despite the heavy sacrifices, this struggle will develop and escalate with great determination and strength.

D.H

ANHA

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