Also read in: French – Kurdish
A delegation of twelve young internationalists from Europe went to Şengal this month for the 10th anniversary of the 74th genocide against the Êzidî community. For a week, they participated in various events organized and met the population. The Êzidî community thus shared with them the pain that still strongly marks them ten years after the atrocities committed by Daesh. They were also able to understand how the Turkish state and the PDK paved the way for Daesh in 2014 and how they still perpetuate the genocide today, in particular through regular drone attacks.
Above all, by meeting the population organized in the general or autonomous assemblies as well as the Youth Union of Şengal (YCŞ), the young internationalists discovered the heroic resistance that was led by the HPG and the local population. They paid their respects to the cemetery of the martyrs of Şengal where they commemorated the vanguards of the resistance: Şehîd Mam Zekî, Şehîd Zerdeşt, Şehîd Dijwar, Şehîd Pîr Çeko… They also visited the various places of the autonomous administration and discovered how the population is trying to establish democratic confederalism in the region.
Despite having experienced one of the worst genocides of the 21st century, the resistance and the construction of autonomy in Şengal show that the population is organizing itself to build a new society. The women of Şengal, who were sold, enslaved and massacred by Daesh in 2014, have nevertheless always been at the forefront of the revolutionary process. They recovered from this femicide by building their self-defense, whether it was with the construction of the YJŞ (Şengal Women’s Units) on the military level or with the creation of the TAJÊ (Êzidî Women’s Freedom Movement) and the YJCŞ (Şengal Young Women’s Union) within the society.
The young internationalists returned to Europe with the will to spread the voice of the Êzidî people. They declared that the youth organized in the Şengal Autonomous Administration are the vanguard of their society and they want to follow their example to strengthen their own struggle.
