Turkey: Appeal for international women’s solidarity to support the Afghanistan women’s liberation struggle

Turkey: Appeal for international women’s solidarity to support the Afghanistan women’s liberation struggle

  • Date: August 26, 2021
  • Categories:Rights
HDP: Έκκληση για διεθνή γυναικεία αλληλεγγύη για την υποστήριξη του απελευθερωτικού αγώνα των γυναικών στο Αφγανιστάν

Turkey: Appeal for international women’s solidarity to support the Afghanistan women’s liberation struggle

The co-chair of the HDP's Peoples and Beliefs Commission issued an appeal - through networks of women's organisations - for international support for the Afghan women's liberation struggle.

Tülay Hatimoğulları, the co-chair of the Peoples and Beliefs Commission at the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey issued an appeal to international women’s organisations to actively support the freedom struggle of women in Afghanistan against Taliban attacks.

Speaking to Jin News, she also criticized the welcoming comments regarding recent Taliban statements by country leaders, including Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“The Taliban said that the women would be able to go to work and school, but they have to wear burkas, and the Turkish president Erdoğan and the Interior Minister welcomed such statements,” she said, adding: “However, we know that the Taliban massacred many civilians while they made similar statements before.”

Indicating that it was naturally the women in the current situation who are most terrified by the Taliban, she pointed out that many women have been publicly whipped, beaten and murdered by the Taliban. “Many civilians lost their lives because of them,” she noted. “So it is unjust to welcome the promises of the Taliban. The whole world and international powers should be alerted against it.”

Recognising that the situation in Afghanistan was linked to international conflicts, Hatimoğulları emphasized the importance of self-determination of the people: “Today, there is a war, if not an openly declared one, between the US and China. It is essential that the people’s right to self-determination is recognised. A system and an administrative structure through which they can govern and defend themselves must be established.”

Hatimoğulları also underlined the importance of international solidarity regarding the freedom struggle in Afghanistan: “We cannot leave Afghan women alone with a Taliban devoid of any conscience. All international women’s organisations and women’s networks have a role to play here. A world-wide women’s network should come into play. Networks of women’s organisations can take the lead in engaging all relevant institutions.”