March 8 and Kurdish politician women in Turkey

* Photo: Evrim Kepenek / bianet

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Gülistan Kılıç - Koçyiğit

Title: MP

One of the incidents leading to her trial or summary of proceedings:

Attending a demonstration in İzmir in 2017 on the occasion of November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Pero Dündar

Title: MP

The incident leading to her trial or summary of proceedings:

Attending a press statement in Mardin province on November 24, 2018 on the occasion of November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Pervin Buldan

Title: Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair and MP

The incident leading to her trial or summary of proceedings:

The speech that she held during the March 8 demonstration organized by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Van Provincial Organization

Filiz Kerestecioğlu

Title: MP

The incident leading to her trial or summary of proceedings:

Attending a press statement organized by women in İstanbul's Kadıköy

Gültan Kışanak

Title: Former Metropolitan Co-Mayor of Diyarbakır

One of the incidents leading to her trial

Her speech during the March 8 event organized at the Diyarbakır İstasyon Square on March 8, 2015

Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir

Title: MP

The incident leading to her trial:

The speech that she held at the Yenişehir District İstasyon Square in Diyarbakır on March 8 International Women's Day

Figen Yüksekdağ

Title: Former MP and Co-Chair of the HDP

The incident leading to her trial:

Her speech in a Women's Day event in Van on March 8, 2016

The list is long...

There are names of at least 38 Kurdish politician women on the list. All of these women are from the HDP; while some of them are arrested, most of them are facing new summaries of proceedings.

Ahead of March 8 International Women's Day, I wondered how many Kurdish women politicians faced summaries of proceedings because they attended or made a speech at an event marking March 8 and/or November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

What I saw was the above picture.

I naturally could not write down here all the information that I had received from the HDP Diplomacy Commission, but even what I have written above manifests the gravity of the situation.

It must be such a mindset of the judiciary and even such male politics that there is apparently an expectation from a woman politician to talk about the weather, rather than male violence, male structure and sexist culture, in a meeting on March 8 or November 25.

What would be more natural than women politicians mentioning these issues in some part of their speeches?

There cannot be anything more natural and right for women politicians to bring these issues to the agenda while at least 20 women are killed by men every month, women's deceased bodies are kept waiting in the middle of the street, women are burned, women suspiciously get missing, children are abused and strip search is getting more widespread in the country.

In fact, it would have constituted a crime if they had not brought up these issues as it would have meant that they were not fulfilling their duties.

March 8 defended at courts

For instance, in the court case where Gültan Kışanak, one of these women, is arrested pending trial in Malatya, she frequently talks about March 8 and protests sexism in her statements of defense at the hearings.

Kurdish politician women, including Gültan Kışanak, have been arrested since 2016. Other Kurdish women politicians are now facing new summaries of proceedings to strip them of their MP status.

Among the charges brought against these women are also the ones over their speeches marking March 8 or November 25.

Male politics wants to design the judiciary, the media and the opposition as it wants. In fact, it partly does it.

However, when it comes to women in maintaining its conservative and male style, things take a different turn. In no way can it obtain the desired result. It targets both women and LGBTI+s.

Summaries of proceedings, targeting remarks, pressure...

Women politicians can be arrested in Turkey because they mentioned women's rights during the demonstrations that they attended.

Meanwhile, the picture of a black hole is taken from the earth, a rover is sent to Mars, a virus comes up and shakes the world, threatening all life on earth.

That is, years are passing. Nothing changes. In 2021, the male politics in Turkey has the same approach to women politicians.

Women politicians are faced with the threat of being arrested before March 8 International Women's Day.

Can you imagine it?

How will we tell the next generations about all this sexism, discrimination and misogyny prevalent in Turkey in 2021?

Let's put aside the next generations as a "next" topic on the agenda.

How will we tell this to the countries ruled by universal law and human rights? OK, let's put aside those "foreign powers", too.

How will we tell our own conscience about what is going on?

I cannot imagine it. (EMK/SD)