Over 100 artists, intellectuals, politicians, journalists, writers, academics and representatives of institutions and political parties from four parts of Kurdistan started the Kurdish National Unity March from Lausanne to Geneva.

A press statement was made to mark the launch of the two-day march at Place de Riponne, where the building in which the Treaty of Lausanne that divided Kurdistan into four parts was signed in 1923, is located.

A joint statement on behalf of the activists was read in Kurdish, French and English.

The statement said the following:

“We, representatives of institutions, parties, intellectuals, writers, artists, journalists, academics, Kurds, Syriac-Chaldean-Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmen, Christian, Alevi, Muslim, Yazidi, women in different political perspectives and as young people, have gathered today to carry out the national unity march from Lausanne to Geneva.

WHY LAUSANNE?

The winners of the First World War shared the Middle East region among themselves at the beginning of the 20th century. These colonialist states have been making vomiting blood to the people for a century by building satellite states connected to them despite the will of the people in order to dominate the region. In this division, they divided Kurdistan and Kurdish people into four and left them to the sovereignty of different countries. The agreement, which divided and divided Kurdistan, was signed on July 24, 1923 in Lausanne in the building we are standing in front of.

Divide and rule policies were tried to eliminate Kurdish people. The Kurds have been in constant resistance to this injustice and cruelty. Kurdish people have reached a deep national consciousness after 100 years of resistances and believe that they will get results with national unity in this century. Occupying powers of Kurdistan; Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria states, they are not as strong as they were, and they are facing with crucial problems. The current situation offers opportunities to all oppressed people, especially the Kurds. However, the colonialist forces are carrying on their policies of exterminating the Kurds with all their cruelty in front of the world. International institutions and great powers, such as the UN, which govern the world politics, remain silent. Just as the international forces remain largely indifferent to the ethnic cleansing initiated by the Republic of Turkey on 9 October in Northern and Eastern Syria / Rojava.

WHY GENEVA?

One of our aims in the march is to protest the invasion and ethnic cleansing of the Turkish State on Rojava since 9 October. To fulfill our responsibilities of international institutions, especially the United Nations, and to invite democratic circles and people to react. The aim of the Turkish government is to change the demographic structure of the region by invading other parts of Rojava, as it did during the occupation of Afrin in March 2018. The only target of this latest campaign of Turkish military aggression is not only the domestic Kurdish population; Arabs, Christians (Assyrian-Chaldean and Armenian), Turkmen, Chechens, Alevis and Yezidis are also suffering. In the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS), Syrian religious and ethnic minorities, including Yezidis and Christians, who have recently suffered genocide, are targeted by the Turkish armed forces and their jihadist mercenaries. Most members of these communities have left their homes and become refugees in their own countries.

The consequences of enduring the Turkish troops' invasion and occupation of Northern and Eastern Syria are terrible. As explained by Turkey's President Erdogan, ethnic cleansing, it is one of the main objectives of this ongoing campaign of military aggression against northern and eastern Syria. If the current Turkish military offensive campaigns are allowed, ethnic cleansing and genocide will be continued in the eyes of the world.

We are carrying out the Lausanne-Geneva March in order to call upon all international organisations and institutions especially UN to fulfill their obligations to prevent the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Arabs, Christians (Assyrian-Chaldean and Armenian), Turkmens, Chechens, Alevis and Yazidis of North and East Syria, along with Kurds.”

The demands of the activists for Kurdish national unity are as follows:

All organisations and parties in Kurdistan must meet and unite for unity.

Steps must be taken for a joint strategy, joint defense and joint diplomacy.

On this basis, we call upon intellectuals and artists to undertake a role fort he achievement of national unity.

The activists highlighted their demands from international institutions and public opinion as follows:

An immediate and unconditional withdraw of all Turkish forces and their jihadi allies from Northeast Syria, including Afrin.

The closure of the airspace to all fights (expect for humanitarian aid) in order to make sure the people are not attacked from the air.

The deployment of UN peace-keeping forces to the Turkish and Syrian border.

An official recognition of the Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria and the participation of its representatives in the Syrian Constitutional Committee organised by the United Nations.

A safe return of the displaced people of Rojava to their home with received compensation for the damage they have suffered.

A stop of arm sale to Turkey from the West in order to prevent the ethnic cleansing.

Boycotting Turkish tourism and manufactured goods which fund the Turkish war on the Kurds.

PARTICIPANTS OF THE MARCH

Ahmet Şego - Rojava Representative

Abdullah Demirbaş - Former mayor of Sur

Ali Baran - Artist

Ali Matur - KNK member

Ali Zülküf - Painter

Areş Yari – Artist from Rojhilat (East Kurdistan)

Azad Osman - Kurdistan Communist Party (Hîzbî Şûî) Foreign Relations Office member, Bashur (South Kurdistan)

Aziz Tunç - Writer/ MARDEF Co-chairperson

Abas Omer - PYD (Democratic Union Party)

Azad Abdulahresit - PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan)

Bengî Agirî - Artist

Bahtyar Seyitxani - PUK Europe Representative

Bavê Heqî - PYD Representative

Basak Nuri Munich – Politician from Bashur

Bavê Şêro - PYD

Besime Konca - TJK-E (Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe)

Beser Şahin - Artist

Cemal Zariya – Journalist from Rojhilat

Cano Şakir - Hevgirtina Rewşenbîrên Rojavayê Kurdistanê (HRRK)

Cemo Doğan - Artist

Cewad Merwani - Artist

Dersim - PYD

Devres Ferho – Brussels Kurdish Institute President

Diyar - Artist

Diyar Bekir - Politician from Bashur

Dr. Engin Sustam - Academic

Dr. Cengiz Güneş - Academic

Dr. Rigrag - Tevgêra Nûjen

Dr. Sedat Ulugane - Academic

Doc. Çetin Gürer - Academic

Ebdulbaqî Essed - MAF(Saziya Mafên Mirovan-Sûriya) President

Eimad Nuri Ali Nonerê Başûr Siuy-Ewrupa Kurdistan

Emin Dilmaç - CİK

Emele - Artist

Faruk Semedi - Nûneré hizba demokrata kurdistan PDK(KDP) Rojhilat

Fatma Şık – Former Co-mayor of Sur Municipality

Fatoş Göksungur - KCDK-E Co-chair

Faysal Sarıyıldız - Former HDP MP

Fergin Melik Aykoç - Düsseldorf Kurdish Institute Lecturer and writer

Fereydûn Kuncirini - Politician from Bashur

Ferid Efrînî - Artist

Firat Imirza - Artist

Fikret İgrek - Shengal Diaspora Assembly Co-chair

Firaz Baran – Journalist/Writer

Faruk Muhsinoglu - KNK member

Ferit Efrin – Film-maker

Günay Aslan – Journalist/writer

Goran Hama - Politician from Bashur

Goran Babali - Gorran

Hejar Nuri Feqa - Suei Kurdistan Europe

Hatice Altınışık - HDP

Hemid Bahoz – Artist and NCÊ administrator

Hekim Sefkan - Artist

Hasan Muhammed - Gorran

Hüseyin Alataş - KKP

Hüseyin İçli - KKP

Hikmet Serbilind - Kurdistan Islamic Party (PÎK) Chairperson

Hüseyin Erkan - Tevgere Kawa Europe Representative

Hüseyin Torun - Writer

Hoshyar Abdullah - Politician from Bashur

İbrahim Ali - CİK

İbrahim Alipur PJAK (Free Life Party of Kurdistan) Europe Representative

Idris Bagok – Artist and NCÊ Representative

Kemal Bilgit - KKP

Karez Xelifan - Ciwan Basure Kurdistan

Kawa Nemir Poet- Theater player

Kawa - Artist

Kawa Urmiye - Artist

Lami Özgen – Former co-chair of KESK (Confederation of Public Workers' Trade Unions)

Leyla Birlik - HDP former MP

Lezgin Botan - HDP former MP

Mahzar Zumrut - Dusseldorf Kurdish Institute President

Mehmet Yaşar - KKP

Mehmet Söğüt - Writer

Mehemed Heci - CİK

Meren Merewdali - Gorran Europe

Muzaffer Küçükyıldız - PKAN (Central Anatolian Kurds Platform) Representative

Nursel Aydoğan - HDP former MP

Necibe Karacdagi - Tevgera Azadi

Nebez Abdullah Rasul - Politician from Bashur

Nadia Muzuri - Politician from Bashur

Newroz Qadir - Politician from Bashur

Nejdet Atalay – Former Mayor of Batman

Nezehat Ergüneş - Former Mayor of Bostanici

Omid Baban Kurdistan Communist Party (Hîzbî Şûî) Foreign Relations Office Member

Ozan Emekçi - Artist

Refik Abdulah - Gorran Europe Representative

Refiq Xefûr - KNK (Kurdistan National Congress) Executive Council Member

Réwi Rédur Sanatçı – NÇÊ Co-chair

Reber Dosky – Director

Rizan Yusuf - YES Europe Representative

Ronak Ahmet - KNK Representative

Sabri Eryigit - PÎK Europe Representative

Suzan Samancı - Writer

Seyitxan - Artist

Soran Ali – PUK Europe

Şemdin - Artist

Songül Çelik - FEDA

Şiwan Perver - Artist

Sibel Yiğitalp - HDP former MP

Şevket Bakan - KNK
Peywan Arjîn Artist

Pir Rüstem Writer

Vıyan Mayi - Director

Yıldız Hane - PYD-Women

Yüksel Koç - KCDK-E Co-chair

Yusuf Yeşilöz – Writer/ Screenwriter

Yurdusev Özsökmenler – Former Mayor of Bağlar

Zehra Dogan – Journalist/Artist

Zahir Loran - Artist

Zozan Dêrik - PYD

Zübeyir Aydar - KNK Executive Board Member

Xebat Şakir - PYD

Xelil Xemgin - Artist

Xebat Dhoki - Artist