Êzidîs in Shengal condemn the international plot against Öcalan

People of Shengal took to the streets to protest the anniversary of the international plot on Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan with the motto "The isolation of leader Apo is the isolation of Êzîdxan".

Hundreds of people from Shengal took to the streets in Khanasor and staged a march through the streets with banners reading "The isolation of Öcalan is the isolation of Êzîdxan", "The freedom of leader Apo is the freedom of Êzîdxan", and "Leader Apo is the source of our free life".

Hundreds who gathered in front of Shengal's Culture and Arts Center and walked until the Êzidxan Asayish building also carried posters of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, and flags of PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party), YBŞ (Shengal Resistance Units), YJŞ (Shengal Women’s Units), Shengal Democratic Autonomy Assembly, Movement of Free Êzidî Women (TAJÊ) and Freedom and Democracy Party of Êzidîs (PADÊ).

The mass chanted "Death to treason", "There is no life without the leader", "Long Live Leader Apo", and "Long Live the Resistance of Shengal".

At the destination of the march, a speech was held by co-chair of Shengal Democratic Autonomy Assembly, Rîham Hico who said the following on the 9 October international plot:

"It is 19 years that leader Apo is held under most tightened isolation in many aspects in Imrali prison. The invading Turkish state and its accomplices initiated the prelude of the international plot in Damascus, when they tried to assassinate leader Apo in the Syrian capital city.

This prelude in 1996 was followed by the departure of leader Öcalan from Syria on 10.09.1998 which ensued in a heinous sequence of schemes that bore its results in February 1999. Leader Apo was kidnapped in a despicable manner by international forces of the NATO branch of GLADIO, and handed over to the invading Turkish state. Since then, there is a horrendous isolation enforced on our leader, which has been aggravated further within the recent years in particular."

"LEADER APO IS THE FINEST PROOF OF RESISTANCE"

"By arresting leader Apo, the Turkish state and its accomplices intended to oppress and keep all subdued peoples under their sway and annihilate them. It comes because leader Apo is the one who has the greatest will of all to stand up for oppressed peoples, who learned by his ideas and philosophy to be masters of their own will and to keep themselves up. The Turkish state started to ignore any laws and attacked the people after they failed with their schemes on our leader. They displaced thousands of people by force, murdered hundreds of pregnant women and razed hundreds of Kurdish villages to the ground. On top of that, they jailed hundreds of journalists, politicians and intellectuals. The intention behind it was of course to intimidate the people and deprive them of their will. But still, the people continue the struggle based on ideas elaborated by Öcalan. This characteristic of his, to be the greatest example for the struggle for Democratic Confederalism, is the reason that he is still giving a resistance under the hardest prison conditions of Imrali isolation for 19 years."

"WE, THE ÊZIDÎ COMMUNITY ORGANISE WITH THE PHILOSOPHY OF ÖCALAN"

"We as the Autonomous Democratic Council of Shengal express our harshest condemnation to this plot perpetrated by many greater states. We regard this as a scheme against the whole Êzidî community and all suppressed people. We as the Êzidî community organise ourselves by the ideas and philosophy of leader Apo, and everyone shall know, that we the Êzidî community will live and struggle by the ideas and philosophy of leader Apo until the very end of days. We see this plot against the Êzidî people."

"24 HOURS OF STRUGGLE IS MANDATORY"

"We want to make the call on the whole Êzidî community, to be 24 hours struggling and taking stand for the freedom of leader Apo, for it is the greatest responsibility of the Êzidî community.

We repeat our call to all free and sympathetic people, all of the humanity, human rights organisations and all democratic institutions to break their silence in the face of the international plot that has been perpetrated heinously. This plot on leader Apo is a plot against all of humanity. The Turkish state and its accomplices have done an unforgivable injustice against all humanity and have violated all human rights."