Women guerrillas are preparing to celebrate 8 March which they say is a day of resistance and struggle of women. YJA Star guerrillas told ANF their work and assessments on 8 March, the International Women’s Day.

Ciwan Destan: I would firstly like to celebrate the world women’s day. This is my first year in the mountains of freedom and I welcome 8 March for the first time in the guerrilla areas. I also celebrate the 8 March of my female comrades here and send my greetings to the Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The struggle that started with Clara Zetkin, Rosa Luxembourg continues here in the mountains with Beritan, Zilan, Sema and all the women guerrillas who have fallen in this struggle. Women can liberate themselves in the mountains and this is the reason why they have taken to the mountains. Leader Apo defines women as goddess, but the women in the cities are living still under slavery conditions. Leader Apo tried hard to break this and led the women to the mountains. It is not just 8 March but every single day that must be the day of women.

Beritan Malatya: You can see how women rose and achieved success in the ranks of the PKK. The women in the party work very hard as it is difficult to live in the mountains and under these conditions. If women lacked love and loyalty, they would not be able to hold on to life which is difficult. The women who were closed at home and had almost no right to speak have gained divinity thanks to the works of Leader Apo who refers to our martyr Zilan as “a goddess and my commander”. It is Leader Apo who enabled women to rise to this level, and we as women follow the path of Beritan, Zilan and Sara.

Beritan Botan: If I happened to assess the meaning of 8 March, I would say that to me it means following the footsteps of the resistance of Sara, Arin, Hebun and Rojen. I take the YPJ forces in Kobanê as my model for the resisting women.

Dünya Axin: 8 March recalls me of struggle and resistance, it is a very important and sacred day for us. If all the women want to be free, theymust turn their face towards the mountains and train themselves. Until now, the history of slavery of women has been written, but from now on we will be writing the history of the liberation of women together by our leader. We are making an effort for the achievement of this purpose today. And YPJ is an example of this. Those who thought that women could not do anything have witnessed how women fight and rise up.

Mizgin Ciwan: Women had to suffer great pains to reach to this point because they always laboured but were ignored all the time.Women must organise against male mentality for the fact that unorganised women cannot do anything. If we are here today, this is because we rose up against the dominant. We are struggling here as soldiers against those arguing that “women cannot achieve anything”. Women must take an organised part in this struggle in order to answer the call of the Leader.

Rêvan Zilan: 8 March is quite an important day for us. The Kurdish women have risen up together with their Leader. We have the examples of Beritan, Sara, Zilan who waged resistance in these mountains. There has always been resistance, but never a betrayal. Beritan jumped down the rocks in order not to be captured by the enemy. Arin Mirkan sacrificed herself for the freedom of her people. Comrade Sara resisted under the most difficult conditions in prison. We have to strengthen and enhance this resistance. I call on all the women in the world to step up the resistance and to struggle for freedom and their rights.