Listen here to the daily update:
Dear friends, sisters and comrades,
Today is the 22nd February an here is our daily update from Rojava from the heart of the women’s revolution.
Preparations for the return of displaced people to Afrin are progressing. Today, a representative of the Autonomous Administration’s internal security forces was in Afrin to discuss with local forces how to ensure the safety of those returning. A video shows him kneeling before the olive trees of Afrin, touching the ground with his forehead and taking the earth into his hands. The return to Afrin is not just a matter of housing; the connection people have to Afrin is deep, collective, emotional, spiritual, and historical.
400 families are ready to return within the next week. The exact date has not yet been determined. These families were actually supposed to return this week – but since most of their homes are still occupied by settlers, they had nowhere to go.
In other areas, the implementation of the integration agreement is also progressing. The governor of Heseke announced today that the roads to Damascus will be reopened. This will also facilitate the supply of goods to Rojava from southern Syria. Furthermore, discussions took place today between representatives of the Autonomous Administration and the Ministry of Education.
As a step towards overcoming the division between the Arab and Kurdish populations, 51 prisoners were released from jails in Cizre today following a meeting between Arab and Kurdish tribal leaders. No further details about the individuals or their sentences were released.
The al-Hol camp was set on fire after it had been emptied earlier this week. Reports indicate that 15,000 to 20,000 ISIS supporters are now spread out in Syria. ISIS prisoners are also being released regularly from Raqqa and other prisons.
Today, we must also look beyond Rojava. In Iraq, the army is brutally targeting the Kurdish population in Kirkuk. It is also preparing to open a new base in Shengal. This move follows threats made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in recent days against the Yazidi population in Shengal. He called on the Iraqi army to take action against the local self-defense units.
In response to the genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State against the Yazidi population living in Shengal in 2014, the Yazidi people established their own self-defense units. Starting in 2015, the establishment of a democratic autonomous administration began, modeled on democratic confederalism.
Many indications make it clear that the hegemonic powers are planning to follow up the war in Syria with attacks in Iraq. we should also not separat this from plans with the hedgemonic powers have in Iran. The democratic administration in Shengal, like Rojava, is a threat because it represents an alternative to Islamism and imperialism.
In a statement, the Autonomous Administration of Shengal said: “We, Shengal, which is part of the territory of Iraq, recall that in recent years, when the government failed in its duty to protect the Yazidis and our people were subjected to the ‘Black Decree’ (genocide), the people themselves took responsibility for protecting their lives and their land through their defense forces.”
Today, however, instead of acknowledging these forces of resistance, a policy is being pursued that aims to break the will of our society—a policy that is in no way acceptable.We must therefore remain vigilant and keep a close eye on all parts of Kurdistan and the entire Middle East. Especially as women, we must unite across all borders and defend one another with our solidarity!
Activist Anisha Asad Elahi sent a sign of this solidarity among women today upon her release from Evin Prison in Iran. She held up a piece of cloth bearing the names of Kurdish prisoners Bakhshan Azizi and Warisha Moradi.
JINHA women’s news agency writes
This was not read only as an act of solidarity, but as a concrete expression of what has come to be known as the politics of sisterhood. Although this horizon has not yet been consolidated outside the prison walls, inside Evin—under the blatant presence of authorities—it emerges as an ethical choice and an indispensable strategy of resistance.
With that, we say: Long live sisterhood!
And we send you revolutionary greetings from Rojava
