As many as 150 women who gathered in Istanbul upon the call of Women’s Initiative for Peace (BİKG) have departed for Cizre this morning to show their solidarity with the women of Cizre and assess the massacre perpetrated by state forces at the scene.

Gathering this morning in Kadıköy district of Istanbul, women first held a press conference by opening a banner which read: “We are witnesses of Cizre, we are advocates of peace” and frequently chanted the slogans “We make voice for peace” and “Women of Cizre are not alone”.

Speaking here on behalf of the group, Ferda Sayın said women will be the voice and language of peace, and called attention to the deprival of the Cizre people of their most basic right to live.

“Special operation teams blockaded the Cizre town and rained bullets on the people without distinguishing between children, elderly and deputies, which left 23 people dead, including a 35-day-old baby and 75-year-old man.”

Pointing to the war in Northern Kurdistan and racist attacks in western part of the country, Sayın said; “The war is being pursued by killing women and children in Cizre, and demolishing and burning down houses and workplaces in the west.” She stressed that no power will ever be capable of hindering peace and women will stand in unity against the war.

Speaking after, Sevda Bayramoğlu remarked that “This war is the war of the state” and added that they were going to Cizre to embrace the women in Cizre and share their pain. “We will be near them during the Eid and we will say no to war all together”, said Bayramoğlu.

Another woman by the name of Sevgi İnce said “There was a siege in Cizre that lasted 9 days and a massacre was perpetrated against the people there. We are going there to heal the wounds of the women and to resist this war all together.”

Another activist Nesrin Koçyiğit emphasised that Erdoğan who suffered a defeat in 7 June elections was the one responsible for the war.

Following the statements, women departed for Cizre in three buses.