Leyla Güven declares solidarity with activist Narges Mohammadi

The Kurdish politician Leyla Güven, imprisoned in Turkey, sent a letter to women's rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, expressing her solidarity with Mohammadi's hunger strike, according to the Women's News Agency (NUJINHA).

The letter, written on behalf of Kurdish political prisoners, praised the struggle of Iranian women, emphasizing their shared resistance under the slogan "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" (Women, Life, Freedom).

The letter included, "Those who resist build bridges of resistance in their lives, and on those bridges, children, women, and peoples march toward their future with songs of freedom. Our dear sister Narges Mohammadi, as we learned from the press, you have begun a hunger strike in protest against the injustice you have exposed to. As women who strongly believe in the philosophy of Jin, Jiyan, Azadî, we heard your voice before anyone else.

As Kurdish political prisoners, we send our greetings, affection, and solidarity to you and to all the resisting women of Iran. We, the women of the Middle East, wonder about the reasons for the suffering we endure. How did our ancient lands, which witnessed the birth of humanity and its social development, become lands teeming with killing?

The Iranian people possess a deeply rooted cultural fabric encompassing Baloch, Azeris, Kurds, Persians, and many others. Their beliefs, languages, cultures, and identities have co-existed for thousands of years, drawing upon their Zoroastrian roots and philosophy. At this juncture, our geography has become indistinguishable.

We certainly know that violence against women is a global phenomenon as old as civilization itself. We know that the dominant powers fear women's intelligence and therefore seek to silence us by all possible means. For this reason, they sentence each one of us to decades in prison. Their goal is to intimidate women and confine them to the family, which is a small unit of the state. However, throughout history, women have never surrendered despite all the obstacles that the patriarchal system has placed in their way. They have walked with their heads held high and their foreheads uncovered.

In Iran, Jina Amini's hijab symbolizes a women's revolution, and in Rojava, the braid of the Kurdish fighter exposed a dark patriarchal mentality and became a symbol of her people's unity. We, the women living in the Middle East, declare clearly: Fear our hands stained with dough, our creative minds, and our brave, united hearts. Yesterday, we were all Leyla Qasim, Shirin Alam Holi, Sakine Cansiz, and Arin Mirkan, and today we are all Narges Mohammadi. You must know, my dear, that your resistance is our resistance and your struggle is our struggle. Women are a nation throughout the world. Yes, we are a nation of women, and we are half of society and half of the world. We will make Iran and the entire Mesopotamia region democratic, environmental and characterized by liberation for women's, guided by women's intellect, conscience, and justice. I hope that you and all Iranian women hear the cries of Jin, Jiyan, Azadî that we shout from the prisons of Turkey. We always say that our hearts beat with yours.

Zainab Karman, who spent twenty years in prison alongside me, also wishes to send her greetings with these words, "Freedom is always the melody of those who live in a world of resistance. You, my dear Narges, are a beautiful note in this melody with your resistance. The resistant build bridges of resistance with their greetings, and on this bridge, children, women, and peoples walk towards their future with songs of freedom. We wanted to reach you, even with this short message, and send greetings to all women who resist patriarchal systems."