To the Department of Social Work and Health
of the University for Applied Sciences
Emden/Leer – Germany
Qamişlo, 19 October 2019
Dear colleagues,
Dear professors, lecturers and students of the University of Emden,
We thank you for your solidarity and friendship. We send you warm
greetings from the region of resistance against the inhuman attacks on
our lives and livelihoods.
Since 9 October 2019 the Turkish state and its allied jihadist groups have
been severely attacking regions all over North and East Syria, particularly
the town of Serêkaniyê. Massacres and crimes against humanity are
carried out against our people and our defense forces using weapons sold
by many different countries. Our rights to life, health and education are
violated.
Since the beginning of the Rojava revolution in 2011 we have been
confronted with the brutal attacks of the Turkish army and armed groups
that they have established. Thousands of our people lost their lives or
became disabled due to the war against ISIS.
But at the same time, we have built up a new system of life with an
autonomous and democratic administration. For the first time in history we could realise the dream of our grandparents to establish an education
system in our Kurdish mother language and a democratic university!
The free will of women, democracy, and a strive toward ecological
sustainability are the foundations of all our social, cultural and political
structures. Women are represented and participating in all fields of life,within the administration and politics. Each step forward in building up our system of self-governance of the people in North and East Syria has been answered by attacks of ruling countries and occupation threats by Turkey!
Only with our options of self-defense are we resisting one of the biggest
NATO armies. High-technology warplanes, weapons and bombs which
have been created to harm humans and the environment are today used
and tested against our soils and our people.
During the last 10 days we have seen wounded people, children and
women of neighboring towns and villages that indicate that the Turkish
state and its allies have been using also chemical weapons in their
massacres. The pictures that have been made public in the world media
are only reflecting small moments of the whole reality of this war! Today
the people in North and East Syria are experiencing a great tragedy – we
do not know how much of this reality has reached you.
These illegal and cruel attacks need to be stopped immediately. The
Turkish state and Erdogan need to be prosecuted by an international court
for all their war crimes. Those who have sold weapon and warplanes to
Erdogan have become complicit in these crimes against humanity. During
the last days many governments announced that they have stopped the
trade of arms with Turkey. This is a positive step.
But neither the so-called “ceasefire” nor the refrain from selling arms to
Turkey has stopped the war and massacres against our people!
Although many countries condemned Turkey‘s aggression this has not
stopped the attacks. International bodies need to take effective decisions
and implement effective measures – now!
The most urgent issue is that theses attacks against the regions of North
and East Syria are stopped. They are threatening our lives and deprive us
of our basic human rights such as our right to education and fulfilling our
day to day needs in life. If this occupation war is not stopped, we see
clearly the risk that this war, together with practices of ethnic cleansing,
the massacres of jihadist groups will spread throughout the Middle East.
The cooperation and solidarity of the people and democratic forces
worldwide gives us strength. We believe that with this strength we can
reach a free and beautiful future.
For 10 days we have been on our feet without any rest. We have been
joining the people’s marches to stop the war. We have been participating
in civilian work to support displaced people from the fighting areas and in
convoys to rescue wounded from places under siege by the Turkish army and its proxies. We will be working to support and protect our society
against the agony of war until we have conditions under which our
university can resume its works. This is how we resist against occupation
and destruction at this very moment.
We understand very well your doubts and fears that you as our friends at
the University of Emden have. But we can say that we will do everything
that is possible to us to protect and continue our works at the Rojava
University and Jineolojî Faculty. This will only be possible under the
conditions of a democratic system that acknowledges the will of the
people and the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of our society.
We trust in our commitment of friendship and that you will do your best to
make our voices be heard in the world in order to stop the ongoing
massacres and occupation war.
Serêkaniye was the first town that in the beginning of the Rojava
revolution, in 2012 was attacked by El Nusra troops that were sponsored
and guided by Turkey. Today once again with the attacks on Serêkaniye
the Turkish state aims at occupying North and East Syria and to expel us
from our soils.
We hope that with our joint resistance we will be able to end the invasion
and that in this dark time we can become a ray of light for a better future
of humanity.
With best greetings,
Rojava University
Jineolojî Faculty
