The Party of Democratic Regions (DBP) Youth Assembly has made a statement in Hasankeyf, the ancient city which will be submerged by the construction of Ilısu Dam. The DBP Youth are organising a big march on 13 April in Hasankeyf in protest at the construction of the Ilısu dam.

The DBP Youth Assembly has called for a stepping up of the struggle against the construction of the hydroelectric plant, stressing that capitalist modernity aims at the destruction of the cultural and historical richness of Kurdistan through the construction of hydroelectric power plants and dams. The press statement of the DBP youth assembly was read out by Aydin Irmez, who said that the youth assembly of the DBP will not allow the construction of the dam together with the people of Kurdistan and continue to struggle by staging democratic protest within the scope of the “Xwedi derkeve” (Take ownership) initiative they have launched.

Following the reading out of the press statement, the co-chair of the DBP’s Mardin branch, Ömer Öcalan, said Kurdistan’s history and nature are being attacked by the construction of hydroelectric plants and dams, and called for a struggle to reclaim the water, soil and nature of Kurdistan. Öcalan drew attention to the policies of the AKP government which is trying to create areas of profit in Kurdistan for its own supporters, adding that the youth will say no to these policies together with the DBP.

Speaking at the press conference, DBP Dargeçit branch co-chair Abdurrahman Aslan called on everyone to join the march on 13 April that will start in front of the party building in Dargecit and end at the dam construction site.