Yazidi women and children in Sinjar (Şengal) have planted hundreds of saplings to mark the upcoming 76th birthday of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan on 4 April. The event, organised by the Yazidi women’s movement (TAJÊ), took place in Duhola village, north of Mount Sinjar in northern Iraqi Kurdistan.
At the event, Amshe Gorgorki, co-chair of the Sinjar People’s Council, told Roj News that for the past 10 years, the Yazidi community in Sinjar has been organising itself based on Öcalan’s ideology. This process began after the region was liberated from Islamic State (ISIS) control following the 2015 Yazidi genocide.
“This year, 4 April is different from other years for Yazidi women because a special message was sent to us,” she said, referring to Öcalan’s letter to the Yazidi people, penned in his prison cell and published on 18 March.
In the letter, Öcalan described the Yazidi people’s ongoing struggle for self-determination as a “renaissance” and urged them to build a democratic society, stressing the importance of women taking a leading role.
Gorgorki stated that Yazidi women were “very pleased” to receive Öcalan’s encouraging message, acknowledging their responsibility for building a democratic and resilient society in Sinjar.
