HDP’s Acar-Başaran: We are Kurds, we are women, we are here

* Photo: HDP Women's Press Bureau

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Women's Assembly Spokesperson Ayşe Acar-Başaran held her weekly press conference at the HDP Central Office in the capital city of Ankara today (October 22).

In her speech, Acar-Başaran also talked about the imprisonment of former Mardin Nusaybin Mayor and Free Women's Movement (TJA) Spokesperson Ayşe Gökkan, who has recently been sentenced to 30 years.

Noting that "Ayşe Gökkan has waged a struggle all through her life", Acar-Başaran said, "Don't think that she has been penalized due to a crime in her file. She did not commit any crimes. She has been sentenced to 30 years in prison because the TJA and Democratic Society Congress (DTK) have been illegalized. Just like our DTK Co-Chair [and former HDP MP] Leyla Güven. Our friends have been given this sentence not because there is a crime."

She underlined that "this sentence was not solely given to Ayşe" Gökkan. She said, "It is a retaliatory attack on the entire Kurdish women's movement, primarily on the Kurdish women's struggle. Just like [jailed HDP politicians] Figen [Yüksekdağ], Sebahat [Tuncel], Aysel [Tuğluk], Gültan [Kışanak], Ayla [Akat Ata] and hundreds of women who are held captives now. We are enraged with the male judiciary guided by the [ruling] AKP."

Acar-Başaran reiterated:

"Our rage is more struggle. The hostile and sexist attitude towards Kurdish women's movement will lose. [...] Just as Ayşe [Gökkan] said, 'We are Kurds, we are women and we are here. We don't give up the struggle'."

Male violence

Further in her speech, Ayşe Acar-Başaran also talked about the male violence in Turkey. "As the Ministry of Family and Social Policies does not disclose the data, we unfortunately know the data reported in the news and compiled by the press," she criticized.

According to the information shared by Acar-Başaran in reference to the press and women's organizations, 234 women were killed in Turkey in the first 10 months of 2021. She also recalled that "in a public dorm in İzmir, women were banned from wearing pyjamas [outside their rooms] on the grounds that men might be uncomfortable with it."

Sharing details about a recent case of impunity for sexual abuse in Diyarbakır province, Acar-Başaran reiterated that "in the face of male-dominated government, women do not give up the İstanbul Convention, which protects women from male violence."

Referring further to the convention from which Turkey has officially withdrawn by a Presidential decision, she said, "We will struggle against [the act of] leaving women more defenseless and inside this spiral of violence."

Women's poverty

In her speech, HDP Women's Assembly Spokesperson Ayşe Acar-Başaran also referred to the Assembly's ongoing campaign against women's poverty in the field. Raising concerns that "Turkey ranks 130th among 156 countries in the World Economic Forum's global gender report", she underlined that the women in Turkey "get one of most meager shares from the budget" when compared to the other countries of the world.

"Are we condemned to this? Is this our fate. Of course not," she said and added, "Women's participation in economic decision-making and budget-drafting could be ensured. We said this before."

Acar-Başaran underlined, "It should be ensured that the government keeps its promises about gender equality." (EMK/SD)