The Women’s Movement Kongra Star issued a statement on the assassination of Nagihan Akarsel:
‘Our response to the assassination of our comrade Nagihan Akarsel will be the success of the women’s revolution all over the world.
Today we learned with sadness and anger that the activist, fighter for women’s freedom and member of Jineolije Nagîhan Akarsel was killed in the morning hours in an assassination attempt in front of her house in Süleymaniye. Nagihan Akarsel was a member of the Jineoloji Academy and co-editor of the Jineolojie magazine. With Jineoljie science from the perspective of free women, she wanted to build a free society. Nagihan put the slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî!”/”Women, Life, Freedom” into practice with great will, courage and love.
This attack is targeted, knowingly and systematically in all parts of Kurdistan against the revolution of the women and the people. This political feminicide against women who are at the forefront of their society is the policy of the murderous Turkish state. This attack is against the revolution of women and the people who are leading it. In Rojava, the Turkish state is trying to destroy the struggle of women through political feminicide. With the assassination of the pioneers of women’s freedom like our comrades, the politician Hevrin Khalef, the activists of the women’s movement Zehra Berkel, Hebûn Xelin, Emine Weysî, member of the Women’s Defense Forces YPJ Jiyan Tolhildan and finally the politician and member of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria Zeyneb Serokhan, the Turkish state has persistently tried to weaken the struggle. But the persistence, will and strength of the freedom-loving women will not be weakened or broken. Our answer will be the victory of the women’s revolution all over the world.
This attack is the fourth in a year in the town of Silemany in South Kurdistan and is responsible for the martyrdom of Shukri Sarhad, Mihemed Zekı Çelebi and Suhêl Khorshid. The Turkish government, with the help of its intelligence service, MIT and the government of South Kurdistan, is targeting activists and community leaders in the town of Süleimaniye. The government of South Kurdistan and especially the KDP are responsible for these attacks.
We strongly condemn this brutal attack on the scientist, publicist and our comrade Nagihan Akarsel. Those responsible for the attack must be held accountable and the international silence on the murder of democracy activists must be broken. Attacks of this kind must be prevented.
It is no coincidence that at a time when women in Rojhilat, Iran and all over the world are chanting “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” and shaking the nation-state system based on patriarchy, those who put this slogan into practice are murdered. The attack in Suleimanya is an attack on all women who demand their freedom, who march with the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom”. Therefore, we call on all women and people marching under this slogan to stand by Nagihan Akarsel and what she has been representing and to raise their voices. At this time, we must turn the anger over the murder of Nagihan Akarsel into an even stronger resistance. Let us make the 21st century the century of women’s freedom with jineolojie, women’s solidarity and the slogan “Jin Jiyan Azadi”.
Jin Jiyan Azadî
Kongra Star
4th October 2022′