One of the major protests for the 8 March International Women’s Day was organised in Diyarbakır by the Dicle Amed Women’s Platform (DAKP) with the slogan, “We defend life against the massacre of women and freedom against isolation.” Politicians, women’s organisations, labour organisations plus hundreds of women, attended the massive 8 March rally.

During the event activists made their speeches and the letter of the jailed TJA Spokesperson Ayşe Gökkan, who was jailed on “terrosism” charges on 28 January was read out.

The whole letter of Gökkan was shared by Jin News and fully translated by Medya News as follows:

Gökkan: We give voice to each other inside prison and outside prison

“Greetings to women who resist in Sinjar, Kobanê, Al-Hasakah (Hesekê), Erbil (Hewlêr) and all over the world. We give voice to each other inside prison and outside prison. I give my respects to all women who have lost their lives for the struggle. We, as Kurdish women have been fighting for centuries against the feudal structures and against the state system. We will never forget Gülistan (Doku) and İpek (Er). I celebrate the 8 March with all Middle Eastern women, with Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, Turkmen and other identities.

We will never accept isolation

We will continue to fight until we get justice for women murdered as a result of betrayal in Hesekê, Silopi, Kobanê, Paris and Sinjar. We, will never accept isolation. The isolation imposed in İmralı Prison is a shame for all nation states. We shout out from the prisons: “Bimre tecrîd bijî azadî” (end the isolation, long live freedom).

8 March is resistance against feudal structures

March 8 is against racism, religious-extremism and sexism. We, the womens struggle against the system, will not give up our struggle until women are liberated, until we evacuate all the prisons. We repeat once more. 8 March is a resistance against the feudal structure. The March 8 struggle is against Boko Haram, Al Shabab, ISIS and men in uniforms. March 8 is a rebellion at home, on the streets, at school, against the state and the man. March 8 is revolt. Long live the women’s struggle, long live the unity of women, long live the resistance of women in prison, long live women, freedom of life. “