Kongra Star Coordination released a statement on the sixth anniversary of the 73rd genocide of the Yazidis and condemned the mass murder in Shengal (Sinjar) “with all our strength and with all our feelings of freedom and resistance”

The statement includes the following:

“Just like yesterday, when under the leadership of Kurdish women the YJA star, YPJ and YJŞ, who resisted against the brutal attacks and thus defeated the Islamic state and the mentality for which it stands, we continue our struggle and resistance without interruption and with the same attitude today.

Our pain and our wounds are still fresh as they were yesterday; and the danger for Yazidi women and the attacks on them, on all our Yazidi people as a whole, have not ended yet.

Today as then [at the time of the genocide] this attack, the killing, not only against our Yazidi people, but against all Kurds and all freedom-loving peoples continues with unbroken brutality.

Especially against Kurdish women, the mentality of IS is openly continued by the Turkish state – be it in Shengal, Rojava, in the north or south of Kurdistan. They attack Kurdish women and girls, carry out political genocide, devastate the nature of Kurdistan, bomb, occupy, depopulate whole villages, displace our people, and want to destroy our culture by these killings.

The genocide that was committed against the Yazidis is being committed against the Kurdish people today in the same way. But we will resist against all these attacks in every place, just as the Yazidi people and women created themselves anew.

Every day the sun rises over the holy place of Ezidxans, Lalesh, with the paradigm of democratic confederalism, and the awareness and faith in itself.

Let us recall history in a nutshell: It is known how on August 3, 2014 the occupying forces and the gangs of IS wanted to realise a cultural genocide against the Yazidis of Shengal and to erase the belief and philosophy of the Yazidi. They tried to do this because this belief and philosophy are the basis of a history of resistance, a history of self-defence and the jewel of Zoroastrianism.

At the same time, this genocide proved to be an attack against the construction of the system of democratic modernity. That is why, through mass murder and genocide, they wanted to weaken and erase the strength of the resistant and democratic peoples as well as extend their own rule over all oppressed peoples. In the face of this latest genocide against the Yazidis of Shengal the whole world and the public remained silent. The result was that thousands of Shengalis fell into the hands of the IS, thousands of Yazidi women were kidnapped by the IS and sold like cattle at markets.

A large number of people in the Shengal region were wounded, many were murdered. Thousands of people had to flee and left their country because of this genocide. This illustrates that the main goal was to enslave society as a whole and rob it of its freedom by murdering women.

So they wanted to carry out a massacre, but this project and plan of the occupiers and betrayers did not succeed and was averted. Against the genocide, the forces of HPG, YJA-STAR, YPG and YPJ came to rescue the people, opened a liberate corridor and led the Yazidis of Shengal to safety. In further consequence Shengal was liberated from the hands of IS. The free and democratic solidarity and siblinghood of peoples of different faith and culture revived and organised itself in Shengal against occupiers and enslavement.

They wanted to change the demography of the region through the Islamic State and it was the aim of the IS to eradicate the ancient faith of the Yazidi people. But especially the free forces of the YPJ showed a remarkable resistance against the mentality of the occupation and the fascist, brutal gangs. This resistance had a very big effect on the public opinion. Thousands of Kurdish youth sacrificed themselves and struggled for the Yazidi people to return to their own country.

Once again, it was the forces of YPG and YPJ that liberated Yazidi women and children from the hands of IS and ensured that women and children could return to their families and their country.

Today the situation of Yazidi people has reached the point where they can lead and protect themselves. Those young women who were liberated from the hands of IS now take their place among the forces of YBŞ and YJŞ. Through this historic change they are protecting their people and their country themselves.

Today, the Yazidi people and Yazidi women claim to live freely on their land, with their own faith and to make their organisation strong. In order to give their life and freedom a security, they demand a status for Shengal in Iraq. We also support this demand.

The YPG/YPJ forces waged a heroic war against Islamic State and defeated them on behalf of all humanity, liberating Yazidi, Arab and peoples of Rojava. Today we see how the Turkish state is attacking and occupying again exactly those areas that we liberated. The Turkish state wants to achieve this goal through its attacks and the destruction of YPG/YPJ.

It is the same imperialist forces who yesterday fought on the side of YPG and YPJ against the Islamic State, who today, together with Turkey, want YPG and YPJ to be put on the list of terrorist organisations.

In gratitude that YPG and YPJ have taken their place in the liberation of humanity, they now support the Turkish state and its IS gangs. This state of mind is against the dignity of society and humanity. We want to make the public aware that these oppressive forces are only interested in their own benefit.

Today, the fascist occupying state Turkey continues with the same mentality its attacks against the democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria and all parts of Kurdistan. All peoples must rise up against the threats against Shengal and the occupation plans in Northern Syria and resist together under the leadership of women and youth. In the spirit of Hevrin and Zehra, mother Akide and Emine, we start our mobilisation, increase the struggle against the patriarchal mentality and stop genocide and occupation directed against women and society.

More than ever we must defend the achievements of the revolution in Rojava. We do not forget that the defence of the revolution in Rojava is also the defence of Shengal and all of Kurdistan. From this conviction, we call on all societies, all people and democratic forces living in Northern Syria, Shengal and all parts of Kurdistan to unite against the attacks of the Turkish occupying state and to defend their country.

At the same time, we call on the international public to take action against these attacks on North Syria and to do not remain silent.

As the coordination of Kongra Star in Northern Syria, we condemn again the genocide and mass murder of the Yazidi people of Shengal and especially the plots and policies directed against the Yazidi women. On the anniversary, all societies and the public should remember these dark and dirty time. They should confess that this genocide and these dirty policies against a sacred and historical culture and faith will never be forgotten and that they will resist.

Organisation and liberation of all women will be the answer to the genocides of the occupiers. And the organisation of women all over the world will become the strategic and tactical foundation of a philosophy of free coexistence and democratic nation.”