The Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Alliance issued a written statement to protest the killing of Qamishlo Canton Co-Chair Yusra Derwêş, her deputy Leyman Şiwêş and driver Fırat Tuma by a drone attack by the Turkish state on June 20.

‘The Turkish state targets the status of the Kurds’

The statement emphasized that Turkey had long been seeking a new military invasion against North and East Syria. It noted that the most recent deadly attack against Qamishlo Canton Co-Chair Yusra Derwêş and her companions came during the “normalization” talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, which hosts Russia, Turkey and Iran as guarantor states and the Syrian government as a participant.

The statement remarked that the attack was carried out on the very same day as the Astana meeting, proving the fact that Turkey’s goal is not a solution and normalization in Syria and Rojava.

Remarking that the attack was carried out on the very same day of the Astana meeting, the statement said: “The only ‘solution’ suggested by Turkey since the very beginning is to unestablish the status of Autonomous Rojava today, and the Kurdistan Regional Government in the future.”

Appeal to peoples and international institutions

Calling on the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to take a stand, the statement defined the latest attack in Qamishlo as not only as an act of tyranny that disregards laws but also a violation of the international law. “We call on the government to make peace with its people by recognizing the Kurdish achievements in the country and in other parts of Kurdistan. This would be for the good of not only our people but also the peoples of Turkey. If we have been brothers and sisters for a thousand years, then recognize the achievements of your brothers and sisters and pave the way for a peaceful democratic solution at home. We also call on the UN and the EU to take a stand against Turkish aggression that does not recognize international norms and laws. We call on our people in the four parts of Kurdistan and the diaspora to stand in solidarity with Rojava against attacks. It is time for national unity and joint action.”