‘They Want to Give a Message to All Women by Arresting Rosa Women’s Association’

* Photo: Social media (Narin Gezgör & Adalet Kaya)

Click to read the article in Turkish

Taken into custody in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır province on May 22, 12 of 18 people were arrested a few days later. Among the ones detained in house raids and arrested in Diyarbakır were also eight women's rights activists from the Rosa Women's Association.

Association Chair Adalet Kaya, founding member Narin Gezgör, executive Fatma Gültekin, Free Women's Movement (TJA) activist Gülcihan Şimşek and women from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) are now behind bars in Diyarbakır Prison.

CLICK - 12 People Arrested in Diyarbakır

Eight women from the Rosa Women's Association arrested as part of this investigation have sent a message to bianet:

'Solidarity will keep alive'

"The establishment of Rosa gave hope to the women in region. The women subjected to violence came into contact with us. Those who massacred women and abused children are free outside thanks to the amendments introduced to the law on criminal enforcement while the women who struggled against them are intended to be locked in jail.

"But, let them know that Rosa has done it! Together with the women's movements in Turkey, she reached women, she reached them even during the pandemic as well, and she had struggled till the very moment when she was arrested, she has still been struggling.

"Rosa will not be intimidated. The arrest of Rosa was intended as a message to all women's movements. We might be behind bars, but the struggle with the violence against women will continue outside.

"The solidarity of women will keep them alive and we know that this solidarity will also make us free. Let them know that we will not be intimidated. When we go out of here, we will continue where we left. Stay with solidarity, with love, with perseverance and with struggle..."

'We stand behind our work'

Several women and women's organizations in Turkey have denounced the arrest of women struggling against male violence in the region. The association itself has also released a statement about the recent arrests, underlining that "by cherry-picking some demonstrations and events, the works of Rosa Women's Association have been attempted to be illegalized."

Noting that the association "was founded to struggle against all types of violence against women," the statement has indicated that these recent attempts are intended as a means to "create a perception in a certain segment of the society against the association."

It has also stated that their all activities are within the boundaries of law. "By sharing all of our activity reports issued since the day when we were opened with the public, we declare that we stand before every single work that we have undertaken so far," the statement has read.

'It is named after Rosa Luxemburg'

Speaking to bianet about the establishment and name of the association before, Association Chair Adalet Kaya previously said:

"We are here today thanks to the struggles of the women since Rosa Luxemburg till today. We wanted to be remembered with a name which would remind one of the resisting women who made a difference in the past and could also be associated with today. We think that it is a name that encompasses all resisting women throughout history."

What happened?

As part of an investigation conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) politicians as well as Rosa Women's Association members and Free Women Movement (TJA) activists were taken into custody in house raids in early morning hours on May 22, 2020.

While the trustee protests, statements, death fasts and protests against the isolation of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan were cited as the reason for the detention of 18 people, the mobile phones, books, CDs and laptops were depicted as criminal evidence.

The following people were detained as part of the operation: Rosa Women's Association founding member Narin Gezgör; Rosa Women's Association founding member and former HDP MP Ayla Akat Ata, Rosa Women's Association Chair Adalet Kaya, TJA activist Zelal Bilgin, DBP former Co-Chairs Mehmet Arslan and Gülcihan Şimşek, HDP Central Executive Committee member Özlem Gündüz, HDP Yenişehir District Co-Chairs Remziye Sızıcı and Kasım Kaya, HDP member Mehmet Ali Altınkaynak, DBP Party Assembly member Celal Yoldaş, Bağlar Municipal Council members Hüseyin Harman, Veysi Kuzu and Gönül Aslan, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipal Council member Sevim Coşkun, Diyarbakır Peace Mothers Assembly member Havva Kıran, Yenişehir Municipal Council member Nevriye Çır and and Nazile Tursun.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), referred to the Penal Judgeship of Peace on Duty to be arrested following their interrogation at the prosecutor's office, 12 people have been arrested for "membership of a terrorist organization" while six people, including former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Ayla Akat Ata, have been released on probation. (EMK/SD)