Veteran Kurdish politician Leyla Zana has urged Kurdish women to take the lead in building peace and democracy across the Middle East, calling for unity, confidence, and resistance to what she described as decades of state-led oppression and cultural assimilation during the first Kurdish Women Parliamentarians’ Conference held in Diyarbakır (Amed) on Wednesday.
Zana reflected on her long struggle as one of the most iconic figures of the Kurdish political movement. The conference brought together female politicians from Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Europe under the slogan “Let’s democratise politics, let’s build a democratic society.”
“Women were once confined within four walls. Now, they inspire the world. Kurdish women are a model to others,” said Zana, who became the first Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish parliament in 1991 and was later imprisoned for speaking Kurdish during her oath.
“The Kurdish women’s movement has been vocal at times, but not consistently strong or organised. That must change now,” she said. “Women must believe in themselves, gain strength, and reflect that power back into society.”
Zana also warned that the Turkish state’s mindset had not fundamentally changed despite decades of struggle: “We asked for brotherhood then, and we still do. But brotherhood cannot be one-sided. Whether in prison, parliament, or the streets, we continue to fight. We must stand for our existence, not anything else.”
The conference, organised by the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), was hosted at the Çand Amed Congress Centre and featured the participation of delegates from the Kurdish regions of Iraq and Syria, as well as the Kurdish diaspora.
From Northern and Eastern Syria, Avîn Swêd, Co-Chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration, addressed the gathering via video. She said women in her region were guided by Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas, which emphasise ecological, democratic, and gender-liberated society.
“Women must lead the peace and democratic society project,” Swêd said. “We are not silent. We are fighting everywhere to defend our rights. We base our approach on Öcalan’s message, which offers a solution to the region’s conflicts.”
Former Iraqi MP Kurda Emer, who was tortured in prison at 21 for political activism, spoke of her determination to succeed in male-dominated political spaces. “They mocked me, but I persisted,” she said. “I had to win for the sake of other women.”
Participants repeatedly emphasised the need for cross-border Kurdish unity, pointing to shared experiences of repression and resilience in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
Kurdistan Parliamentarians’ Union member Kürdistan Pirdawid urged women to play stronger roles in political and economic structures. “We must oppose the system’s power. The fight continues, and women’s presence must grow stronger,” she said.
The conference closed its opening session with calls for collaboration and ongoing dialogue, underscoring the symbolic and strategic importance of women’s leadership in any potential resolution to the Kurdish question.
