Following the declaration of self-governance by the City Assembly of Cizre, people have started the preparatory works for building their own ruling, while people’s assemblies in many other cities and towns have also announced that they would build self-rule in their settlements.

More than 10 neighbourhoods in Cizre are held under control by the youth who dug trenches to hinder the intervention of security forces and ensure the security of their living areas.

In the meantime, Turkish security forces have retreated into military posts and police stations after involvement in an intense house-raid operations in Silopi and Cizre as the AKP government announced the ending of the process of resolution.

First social reaction came from Cizre

During the 1990’s, the first popular rebellion in Kurdistan developed in Cizre against the torture and executions committed by dark forces of the deep state called JİTEM (Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-Terror Unit). Dozens of people were executed in the streets in Cizre during the years of the dirty war.

Despite all the implementations put into practice by the ruling parties of the time, the town of Cizre, the centre of Botan region of Kurdistan, was among the major areas that witnessed the eruption of a social reaction against violations of rights.

In this most recent process, neighbourhoods such as Cudi, Nur and Yaser have witnessed armed conflicts between the youths protecting their neighbourhoods and Turkish special operation units within the last 10 days. The policemen that executed civilians out in the streets haven't faced an investigation even.

Co-chair of Cizre City Assembly Asiye Yüksel said “No choice other than declaration of self-governance was left to us in the face of the cruelty and dirty policies of the AKP”. Yüksel answered ANF's questions regarding their declaration of self-rule in the town.

Is declaration of self-governance related to AKP’s imposition of a deadlock?

The Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan said in his call to peoples of Kurdistan and Turkey in 2012 that 'We will pursue democratic politics instead of armed struggle henceforwards'.This was a decision taken in order to end the pains suffered by both sides. He essentially wanted all the oppressed people to pursue a struggle for freedom and democracy. Yet, the AKP government took no steps for the resolution of the Kurdish question through democratic ways and for the opening the way to democratic politics.

On the contrary, it resorted to any dirty way possible in order to intimidate the Kurdish people within the peace process, such as constructing dams and new military posts which solely aimed to cut the link between the people and guerrillas. On the other hand, they started to massacre our youths, and executions increased day by day.

How would you comment on the mission and the role of women in self-governance model?

As a matter of fact, every killing carried out or ordered by the AKP state took away a part from women's bodies and lives. Building of self-governance will mainly end the pains suffered by the Kurdish women. AKP planned its dirty games against the Kurdish people during the resolution process. The bullets of the AKP state, which fed and armed the ISIS gangs, were used in the killing of thousands of Kurdish youths. The dark organisation of the AKP targets not only the Kurds but the Turkish people as well.

In Suruç, they perpetrated a big massacre with a bomb attack conducted by ISIS barbarians on an instruction of the MIT (Turkish intelligence organization), which targeted youths comprised of mostly of Turks and also involving Kurds and Arabs. They killed three Kurdish female politicians in France yet before giving ab account for the massacre of the youths in Roboski. The Kurdish people faced all kinds of insults and persecution during the process of resolution. Of course people knew very well that the AKP government was not sincere on the resolution process. The AKP finally overthrew the process despite all the good intentions and efforts of the Kurdish Leader.

Declarations of self-governance came during a conflict period rather than a non-conflict process...

Most recently, the police forces of the AKP executed three civilians in Silopi, set houses on fire and attempted to burn the people alive. They set the Kurdistan Mountains on fire in order that the guerrilla cannot stay there but they in fact burnt numerous living beings alive. By setting fire to our nature, AKP declared a war and gave this message; 'We are starting the war, and you should get prepared for it'. Against the cruelty and dirty policies of the AKP, we had no choice left other than to declare self-governance.

AKP front describes the declarations of self-governance as 'impertinent'. Are you still determined on your decision for self-rule?

We have said in our declaration that we do not recognize the totalitarian state institutions affiliated to AKP, not the state itself. In this regard we will stand behind our words. In addition, they distort the declarations of self-governance in order to justify and clear themselves. We said we reject the police officers acting like ISIS gang members within the police force.

Before the declaration of self-governance, Turkish soldiers would threaten families during house raids, saying 'We will be ISIS and we will be your trouble'. This is what we will reject with self-rule, and we will strengthen our self-organisation in the neighbourhoods, towns and villages. The deficient aspects of the democratic autonomy model will be accomplished with self-rule. We will build our system through public meetings and a horizontal organisation.

The woman named Berivan, who led the popular uprising in Cizre in 1992 with her traditional headscarf, was engraved in memories. We see that it is again the women who first demonstrated a social reflex in Cizre today...

Cizre led the first popular uprisings (serhildan) of the Kurdish Freedom Movement in Kurdistan. With the spirit of the uprising led by comrade Berivan in 1992, the people of Cizre are ready for everything today as well for the future of their children.

I would like to point out that the women of Cizre, whose resistance left an indelible impression on society are also ready today. Women are playing an active role in all the aspects of the self-governance model. The women of Cizre who lost a part of their bodies with the death of their children for freedom, reclaim the declaration of self-governance with the spirit of Zilan today. Standing behind their children near trenches, women are protecting their neighbourhoods and streets from the police forces of the AKP state. We call on the women of Cizre-Botan to defend our city shoulder to shoulder with our youths with a spirit of mobilization and patience against the AKP persecution.