On January 9, 2013, PKK founding member Sakine Cansız (Sara), Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) representative in Paris Fidan Doğan (Rojbin) and Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahi) from the Kurdish Youth Movement were assassinated by the Turkish intelligence agency MIT in Paris. On the occasion of the anniversary of the murders, Kurdish people and their friends have taken to the streets in Turkey, Kurdistan, Europe and all around the world to demand justice for the three Kurdish revolutionaries.

People remembered the three women in several cities of France today.

STRASBOURG

Kurds and their friends gathered in front of Gare Central in Strasbourg and protested against the triple murder in the heart of the French capital on its eighth anniversary. Representatives of several institutions attended the rally where speeches were made by CNKS, Garde 67, Partizan, TJK-E, Zin Women’s Initiative and Fidan’s father Hasan Doğan.

RENNES

A demonstration demanding justice for the three Kurdish women was organised in the Rennes city on Saturday. People gathered at Place du Colombier and staged a march chanting the slogans “Murderer Erdoğan, collaborator France”, “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” [Woman, Life, Freedom], “Biji Serok Apo” [Long Live Leader Öcalan] and “Kurdistan will be a grave to fascism”. The crowd distributed leaflets during the course of the march which was followed by a rally at the Place de la Rebuplique Square. Speakers called for those responsible to be exposed.

Demonstrators commended the hunger strike launched by political prisoners in Turkey demanding an end to the isolation imposed on Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan in Imralı Island Prison. They called for further support for the prison resistance.

MARSEILLE

A large number of people joined the march and rally staged in Marseilles to pay tribute to Sakine, Fidan and Leyla. Kurds from Draguignan, Montpellier and Lyon joined the demonstration as well as members and activists from the Solidarity with the Kurds Committee, Human Rights Association of France, Communist Party of France, Confederation of Workers’ Unions in France, French Left Party and various civil society organizations.

During the march from the Canabiere Square to Vieux-Port Square, demonstrators displayed banners demanding “prosecution of Erdoğan who organized the killings” as well as Fatma Uyar, Sêvê Demir and Pakize Nayır, who were killed by the Turkish state forces in Silopi district of Şırnak in January 2016.

The rally at Vieux-Port Square began with a minute’s silence, after which speeches were held, calling for light to be shed on the killings and for Turkish President Erdoğan to be brought to justice.

TOULOUSE

Another demonstration was organised in the city of Toulouse where World Women’s March spokesperson Marle Therese addressed the crowd. Therese remarked that Erdoğan’s dirty policy has claimed the life of three revolutionaries, stressing that there will be no silence until justice is done.