A letter written for fallen comrades

For Sakine, Fidan and Leyla, *

Almost a year ago you were cowardly murdered in the Kurdistan Information Centre in Paris. The year that is behind us, has not been without developments, and that is why it is important to write these lines to you. Since 9 January 2013 not a day has passed in which, what has happened to you, has not in some way drawn attention. You three have clearly not been forgotten. You have a place in the hearts of the Kurdish people and everyone who is in some way involved with the Kurdish struggle. This is the case with all those who have fallen, but because of the way you were murdered, there is a difference. The feeling is more intense with more fire and passion.

Partly the reason for this is that we still don’t know what happened in that office on that evening. It is true that a person is in custody, and he has now been in jail for almost a year. But many questions remain unanswered. How well you knew the suspect, Omer Guney, is also still unclear. We do now know that he was a fascist infiltrator, who won your confidence, just as he did with the people in the Kurdish association in Paris. He probably seemed like an ordinary Kurd, as there are thousands in the Kurdish associations all over the world. All have their own story and their own history. But the story of Guney was not as he told it. The dark shadow hiding behind him was carefully covered up.

You will not have known that he constantly travelled to Turkey, and that he made regular phone calls to shadowy figures there. We still have no idea who those people were, but it is clear that they are part of the fascist “deep state”. The Turkish authorities are refusing to cooperate with the inquiry, and the French investigators don’t seem to be in a hurry.  The most probable reason for this is that the French secret service knew what was going on and decided not to intervene. They are not keen on this fact being widely known. But do not believe that there is no pressure on France to come up with the demanded answers. On a regular basis Kurds, mainly from the women’s movement, are demonstrating in Paris to keep the case in the public eye, and to make sure that what happened to you is not forgotten.  

Your pictures are all over the internet and the interest in the case has not gone away. It speaks for itself that at the beginning there were attempts to hide the truth. In the first days after the attack the Turkish state claimed that it was the result of an internal conflict within the PKK. This insulting theory was very quickly rejected as a myth. There was also mention of a romantic entanglement, but this theory too did not withstand the test of time. Furthermore was there mention of a second man, who would have been involved. All nonsensical claims which are no longer part of the investigation. Everything now points at Guney. We know that he had many contacts over the years with fascists and extreme nationalists. We also know that he wears a ring with three half moons, the symbol of the fascist Grey Wolves. This means that there is not much room for doubt.  

But Guney was not a lone operative. Shortly before the attack he entered the association illegally at night and photographed all the membership forms. It is clear that he was ordered to do this. The only conclusion can be that you have become the victims of a well planned and carefully prepared murder plot hatched by the fascists within the Turkish state. They hoped that the murders would cause chaos at a time when it seemed that a solution to the Kurdish question was near. It seemed that there was a light at the end of the very dark tunnel which is Kurdish history. It was that light that the fascists tried to put out by murdering you three. They hoped to provoke the Kurdish movement into an escalating war. They have not reached their target. After years of struggle the fascists continue to underestimate the PKK.

The chaos the fascists hoped to see never happened. There was instead a dignified period of mourning and a never ending belief that the Kurdish question could be solved on a permanent basis. It is true that this process has in the meantime reached an impasse, but that is because of the inaction of the Turkish government and cannot be blamed on the PKK. The Kurdish freedom movement has done everything possible to make the process succeed. Even now steps are being taken, and the hope that was generated by this process has not disappeared. But the fact remains that you need a partner for peace, and at present such a partner is not available.   

Sakine, Fidan and Leyla, many people, including many women, have lost their lives in the struggle over the years. All those who made the highest sacrifice live on in our minds and our hearts. But the way in which you were murdered has given you a special place in Kurdish history and in the history of the revolutionary movement worldwide. Everywhere in the world people have stood up and demanded the truth about the cowardly act of murder in Paris. As revolutionary women you have become an example for women all over the world and for revolutionaries in general.

To carry on the struggle we need shining examples that can inspire and carry the message forward. That will be your eternal contribution, shining examples who lead the way to a free Kurdistan and a free world. Martyrs don’t die; they lead us in the struggle. Rest in peace, Sakine, Fidan and Leyla, it is now the duty of all of us to lead the struggle for freedom and a just world to a victorious conclusion.  

A comrade

 
* Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Şaylemez, leading Kurdish revolutionaries, were murdered in their office in Paris by a Turkish fascist on 9 January 2013. The murderer has not been convicted yet and the investigation is still continuing.