Under the slogan 'We have demands for a free, equal, and democratic country,' the 'We Need Peace Women’s Initiative' held simultaneous press statements in Istanbul and Ankara.

In Istanbul’s Şişhane Square, in the Beyoğlu district, the Peace Mothers (Barış Anneleri) Initiative also joined the protest. Women held placards reading 'We insist on peace,' 'I need peace,' 'Budget for women, not weapons,' 'Women want peace,' and 'Jin jiyan azadî.' They frequently chanted slogans such as 'Jin şer naxwazin, jin aştiyê dixwazin' (Women don’t want war, women want peace) and 'Peace now'. The joint press statement was read in Kurdish by Newroz Ünverdi and in Turkish by Feride Eralp.

In Ankara, women gathered on Sakarya Street in the Kızılay neighborhood of the Çankaya district. They carried placards that read 'Women want peace,' 'Jin jiyan azadî,' 'Bijî yekîtiya jinan' (Long live women’s unity).

The statements were read in both Kurdish and Turkish.

The press statement drew attention to the budget allocated for war: "Why is over 10 percent of this country’s budget, totaling 1 trillion 608 billion lira, being spent on war under the name of ‘defense and security’ expenditures? Why does this country spend one and a half times more on war than it does on healthcare, especially when the minimum wage is below the hunger threshold? Why is a mandate for cross-border military operations submitted to parliament and renewed every two years? Why is there a new military operation or an alleged ‘existential threat’ declared during every election period?"

Access to services in the mother tongue is a matter of life and death

The statement stressed that access to services in one's mother tongue is a matter of vital importance for women. It asked: "If this war is not against the Kurds, then why is it possible to receive services in many languages in this country, but not in Kurdish?"

The case of Fatma Altınmakas from Muş was cited. After being raped by her husband’s brother, she was unable to give her statement in Kurdish at the police station and could not explain what had happened to her. She was later murdered by her husband.

Uniforms are killing women

The statement underlined that women want peace, a peace in which they can live equally, freely, and without violence. It continued: "For years, we have lived in an environment where war fuels masculinity and provokes male violence. Men already benefit from impunity, but uniforms provide an added shield, allowing them to kill women, commit rape, abuse children, and drive them to suicide. Individuals like Musa Orhan, who caused the death of Ipek Er, and others like him, special sergeants and special operations officers, do not go to prison because they are seen as defenders of the state's ‘security.’ In cities surrounded by armed men, police stations, and surveillance cameras, women like Gülistan Doku and Narin Güran are disappearing or being killed."

Three urgent demands

The statement outlined three urgent demands from women regarding peace:

"-Political activity must no longer be treated as a crime. Laws such as the Anti-Terror Law, which enable this criminalization, must be abolished. Political prisoners, especially seriously ill detainees, must be released.

-Cross-border military operations, special security zone practices, and military deployments must be ended immediately.

-All state-appointed trustees must be removed. Decree Law No. 674, enacted under the pretext of a state of emergency and used as the legal basis for these appointments, must be repealed."