In a letter, 56 civil organizations, women’s organizations and political parties, reflecting the diversity of society in North and East Syria, addressed the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with a call to close the airspace over North and East Syria after Turkey again targeted women pioneers of the women’s revolution in North and East Syria with a drone strike on July 22, 2022. Turkey is deliberately attacking pioneers of women’s liberation and a democratic society.
“To H.E. Michelle Bachelet
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),
On the evening of July 22, 2022, the Turkish state attacked a car with an armed drone on the road from Qamishli. As a result of this attack, three women resisters were martyred. They were commanders of the YPJ and SDF, the General Commander of the Anti-Terror Units (YAT) Jiyan Tolhildan, YPJ commander Roj Khabur and member of the YAT Barin Botan. The three women attended the Women’s Revolution Forum and when they came out they were brutally attacked and killed by the Turkish state.
Even though the Turkish state has not yet been able to realize its threats to start a new large-scale operation to occupy our land, it has launched a particularly aggressive phase of drone and shelling attacks against North and East Syria. Reconnaissance and armed planes fly daily in the skies of North and East Syria- despite the presence of Global Coalition and Russian forces- and are used as tools of asymmetric warfare. These attacks constitute war crimes on the part of the Turkish state.
The attacks systematically and purposefully target civilians, and infrastructure such as water and electricity centres, and cultural and religious buildings. Villages and civilian areas are targeted without warning, killing and injuring the people of our region, from children to the elderly, and destroying their homes.
At the same time, the struggle against Daesh is hindered by the Turkish state. An unacknowledged war is being waged in North and East Syria. According to internationally accepted laws of war, the Turkish state is currently conducting a low-intensity war against the North and East of Syria. This war is being conducted as a one-sided offensive with the aim of occupying all the territory in our region and ending the democratic project led by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The Turkish state systematically targets women in positions of leadership. Women who led the fight against Daesh are being killed by the Turkish state, deliberately. Turkey wants to weaken the struggle against Daesh and at the same time prevent the growth of democratic solutions where women and women’s liberation are the focus.
As a part of this project, Jiyan Tolhildan, Roj Khabur and Barin Botan were targeted on the 22nd of July. Before the attack, Jiyan Tolhildan joined the Women’s Revolution Forum as a speaker, which was held for the 10th anniversary of the July 19 revolution. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of developing women’s self-defence forces. The assassination of Jiyan Tolhildan, Roj Khabûr and Barîn Botan is the response of the Turkish regime against the 10th anniversary of the July 19 revolution, and against the vanguard of women, especially the YPJ in this revolution.
We strongly condemn the Turkish state, which is waging a fierce war against the women and people of North and East Syria. At the same time, we do not accept the silence of the forces of the Global Coalition against the war crimes of the Turkish state. Jiyan Tolhildan also served as the General Commander of YAT in the Joint Operations Command. We expect the Global Coalition to take concrete steps against the war crimes of the Turkish state and not allow the airspace under its control to be used for attacks against us. For this reason, we request that the airspace of North and East Syria be closed for flights, and a no-fly zone be established.
July 25, 2022
1. Women’s Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD)
2. Women’s Council of the Syria Future Party
3. Kurdistan Democratic Party
4. Kurdistan Green Party
5. Kurdistan Liberal Union
6. Syriac Union Party
7. Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria
8. Kurdistan Democratic Change Party
9. Kurdistan Democratic Peace Party
10. Syrian Kurdish Democratic Agreement Party
11. Reform Movement
12. Democratic Conservative Party
13. Kurdistan Future Movement in Syria
14. National Alliance Party
15. Kurdistan Fraternity Party
16. Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria
17. Movement for the Renewal of Kurdistan
18. Kurdish Left Party in Syria
19. Kurdish Democratic Left Party in Syria
20. Arab National Organisation
21. Kurdistan Worker’s Union (PMUK)
22. Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party
23. The Renewal and Democracy Party of Syria
24. Roj Party
25. Movement for a Democratic Society
26. Young Women’s Union
27. Federation of Women Lawyers
28. Union of Teachers
29. Union of Intellectuals
30. Women’s Office of the Islamic Society Congress
31. Women’s Committee of the House of Yazidis
32. Jineology Research Centre
33. Free Women’s Foundation
34. Sara Organisation for Combatting Violence Against Women
35. Shawishka Organisation
36. Hilala Zerin Cultural Association
37. Women Peace Leaders Network (WPA)
38. Democratic Women’s Network
39. Yazidi Women’s Union from Afrin
40. Women’s Committee of the Jazeera Human Rights Organisation
41. Kongra Star
42. Syriac Women’s Union
43. Zenobia Women’s Gathering
44. Women’s Council of Shahba Region
45. Women’s Coordination in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
46. Circassian women in the Women’s Council of North and East Syria
47. Chechen women in the Women’s Council of North and East Syria
48. Chaldean women in the Women’s Council of North and East Syria
49. Turkmen women in the Women’s Council of North and East Syria
50. Armenian women in the Women’s Council of North and East Syria
51. Women’s Committee in the Green Council of Idlib
52. Women’s Rights Research and Protection Centre
53. Yazidi Women’s Union of Rojava
54. Syrian Women’s Council
55. Women’s Committee of Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) Rojava Branch
56. Women’s Office of the Syria Democratic Council”
