NEWS CENTER – On September 3, 2022, Şilêr Resuli, living in Merivan, Rojhilat (Eastern) Kurdistan, was attacked by her neighbor Goran Qadri, who came to her door under the guise of asking for help. 36-year-old Şilêr Resuli, who jumped from the second floor of her house to protect herself from the armed rape attack of Goran Qadri, an officer of the Iranian intelligence, was seriously injured. Şilêr Resul, the mother of two children, who struggled to survive in the hospital where she was treated for 5 days, passed away on September 8, 2022.
The death of Şilêr Resuli led to mass protests by women in all cities of Rojhilat, especially in Merîvan. Particularly, women gathered in front of the court buildings and demanded an end to the insensitivity and silence experienced in crimes against women. Stating that the systematic violence against women is a reflection of the masculine statist mentality, the women demanded that Goran Qadri, who was taken into custody, be sentenced to the heaviest punishment.
Çimen Şine, Coordination Member of the Kurdistan Free Women’s Association (Komelgeha Jinên Azad a Kurdistanê- KJAR), answered our questions about the rape attack of an Iranian intelligence officer against Şilêr Resuli, the reaction of women and the rising women’s struggle in Eastern Kurdistan and Iran.
What do you think is behind the recent increase in rape against women in Rojhilat Kurdistan?
The 21st century is a century of women. As in the rest of the world, Kurdish women in Kurdistan, as the pioneers of this age, have been left without an identity to solve the aggravated problems of humanity, and their existence has been denied and destroyed. It is in question that the Kurdish people stand up as human beings and society, organize, and gain will and consciousness with an active stance. Therefore, the Iranian regime has always used specific and systematic violence against women within the scope of its genocidal policies against women’s freedom struggle. As in many similar situations and genocides, this is developing especially for the rising women’s struggles in Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan.
Again, as the policy of nation states, it is developed against women’s and peoples’ pursuit of freedom. It is certainly being developed in various and multi-purpose forms in order to liquidate the demands for freedom and their resistance. It is the rape mentality that has been developed on the basis of hostile attacks against women in many parts of the world today. This mentality is the intolerance of male dominance towards women in all parts of Kurdistan. The fascist Turkish state and the colonialist Iranian regime also systematically pursue this policy towards women as a method of special warfare and with refinement.
ŞİLÊR RESULI SHOWED THE STRENGTH OF THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM
So, what is the message that is wanted to be given with the rape attack on Şilêr Resuli? What does this attack mean for the concept of genocide against women in four parts of Kurdistan?
Yes, sexual harassment and rape, violence, suicide, murder and suspected suicides against Kurdish women, which have increased especially in Rojhilat Kurdistan and Bakure Kurdistan, are certainly not isolated cases, but have been put into effect within the scope of special war policy and planning. These are genocidal attacks carried out deliberately and systematically. It is a massacre of women and a society, it is genocide. In particular, the perpetrator of a significant part of these attacks is the private members of the Iranian regime itself. The perpetrators of these massacres of women in Northern Kurdistan are members of the invading Turkish army. Increasing rape of women is the result of this mentality. The events in Merîvan are a current example of this and clearly reveal the misogynistic private war policies of Iran and the AKP-MHP state.
The rape attack on Şilêr Resuli was perpetrated on all women. How many floors did she throw from a building to save her own free body? Şilêr Resuli showed how strong the spirit of freedom of women living in Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan is. This is the truth of an indomitable free woman and has become the conscience of the whole society. That’s why the people of Merivan flooded. The people of Kurdistan took care of their Şilêr. We know very well that these policies are planned attacks. However, these attacks are a product of the colonial Iranian regime and the nation-state mind, the expression of the sexist and domineering mentality of the private war element of the state that gives fatwa every day in Iran. Let’s not forget that the break says “Iran will be destroyed by the hand of a woman” and this is not just an assessment based on religion.
OUR RESPONSE TO THIS ATTACK; STRONG WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION
What will be the response of the women’s liberation struggle led by KJAR against such attacks?
Our response to this attack, which has also developed against the women’s freedom struggle, which has risen under the leadership of KJAR in Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan, will be to organize women in the depths of society. Since the colonial Iranian regime knows very well that women are the leading force of the freedom struggle in Rojhilat Kurdistan, it is hostile to rape, violence and women. It also develops special war attacks, as in the example of Şilêr Resuli, in order to control and suppress the will of women and to disperse the organized women’s struggle.
Developing the perception that women do not have a single place to breathe freely and in Rojhilat and Iran is a private war, it is planned. It is a ‘stay slave’ message to women. You do not have a single safe space, its approach is the mind of the rapist mentality, it is an attempt to turn the 21st century reality upside down. Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan will be liberated with the honorable, courageous and beautiful souls of the Şilêr Resuli women.
So, what dimensions has male terrorism, fed by the regime established with a male mentality, reached in Iran in recent years?
With its approach to creating a sexist society, Iran is promoting the phenomenon of masculinity. It makes the streets, homes, workplaces and working areas open to male terror with the atmosphere of oppression and violence. With male incentives and provocations, it has been transformed into a special war device used against society and women. Police and other paramilitary forces as tools to bring down society; He uses Pastaran and Besic as a means of attack against women and girls by releasing them into the society.
In all parts of Kurdistan, mob gangs circulated in our streets in the guise of an executioner-grim reaper in order to break the will of women and girls, destroy their femininity, and turn their childhood dreams into nightmares, through sexual assault, which is one of the most intense practices of the private war; The Besic groups were developed by the regime.
Rape of Kurdish women in Rojhilat Kurdistan is being developed as a new policy of genocide. Of course, these hands extended in honor of all Iranian women, in the person of a Kurdish woman in Merîvan, are of course conscious. Women, peoples will break these hands. For this reason, breaking these hands is the main duty of every honest Kurdish woman and man. Kurds are known and promoted for their dignity, simplicity, bravery and honor. If these values are eroded and broken in Kurds, nothing will be left of the Kurds. Therefore, to remain silent will mean approval, and every silent conscience will go dark, every morality will erode, and every human will go to extinction.
OUR PEOPLE HAVE OWN HONOR IN MERIVAN
What kind of resistance should the Kurds and other Iranian peoples put up against the rape mentality displayed by the Iranian state, what do you suggest for a common struggle? How should women ensure their self-defense?
Again, in such events, it is very important for women to be owned by the society. No woman should be left alone. Against the rapist state mentality, all Rojhilat people of Kurdistan, Kurds, Persians, Arabs, Baluch, Azeris and all peoples and faith groups will continue to continue their democratic public reaction against this inhuman rapist mentality and to raise their struggle against sexist discourse and rape practices. The oppressive policies and laws of the colonial Iranian regime against women are the result of laws that make women weak. Against this mentality that protects men, our people have protected their identity in Merîvan. As the Rojhilat women’s movement, we salute this stance.
All of our people, especially Kurdish, Persian, Baluch, Arab, Soran and Azeri women, must act extremely consciously and sensitively in order to nullify these special war policies carried out by the colonialist Iranian state. The free will of women in Kurdistan is wanted to be destroyed. Dynamic and democratic power is desired to be eliminated. Today, we should know that all the police, soldiers and officers in all parts of Merîvan and Rojhilat are acting within these dirty special war plans targeting our women’s resistance, our sociality, our values, our achievements, our identity, in short, our female existence. This should not be forgotten, even for a moment. Therefore, these people should not be contacted or interviewed.
DEVELOP YOUR OWN DEFENSE AGAINST SPECIAL WAR ATTACKS
Our society also needs to be extremely political in this regard and act in an organized manner. The state is trying to hide and cover this fact with special war policies. For this reason, the society should develop its common conscience and organization. However, if an organization develops in each neighborhood and on the street, they will be aware of each other. The society can take its own defense and the Kurdish people will be able to thwart such special war policies by increasing their political-ideological awareness and organization. Therefore, as the Rojhilat women’s movement, we call on all our people, especially Kurdish women, to be sensitive and vigilant in this regard, to make their environment sensitive, to be involved and to develop their self-defense against all kinds of special war attacks.
The misogynist Iranian regime draws strength from the fragmented stance of women’s organizations. Women’s gains are for all women. For this reason, the gains made by organized struggle by all women should be defended and embraced. We are strong when we are owned and defended by women, when we are truly united as women. It should not be forgotten that the misogynistic policies of the colonial regime envisage only an objective existence for us. They are trying to put us in a position to obey the dominant man with very subtle policies. They are trying to lay the political, economic, ideological, social and cultural ground for this. As women whose pursuit of freedom is unwavering, we can never accept this. It is to increase the self-defense of all our people, especially women, in the face of this genocidal private war that aims to break the resistance of our people and destroy our sociality in Rojhilat Kurdistan and their attacks on women. Self-defense is not only carried out with weapons; Self-defense is also developed in consciousness, emotion, in all areas of life. In addition, we call on Iranian and Rojhilat women to be united in the face of all kinds of male apocalyptic attacks targeting our struggle and achievements, and to develop joint organizations while preserving their originality. Because we say: Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan will be liberated with women. developed in all areas of life. In addition, we call on Iranian and Rojhilat women to be united in the face of all kinds of male apocalyptic attacks targeting our struggle and achievements, and to develop joint organizations while preserving their originality. Because we say: Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan will be liberated with women. developed in all areas of life. In addition, we call on Iranian and Rojhilat women to be united in the face of all kinds of male apocalyptic attacks targeting our struggle and achievements, and to develop joint organizations while preserving their originality. Because we say: Iran and Rojhilat Kurdistan will be liberated with women.
