MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Van- After two-day protests in Van and other Kurdish cities, the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) decided to give mandate to Abdullah Zeydan, Co-mayoral candidate of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) for Van Metropolitan Municipality on Wednesday. “We will keep demanding their rights,” said the women of Van.

 ‘We win a victory’

Thousands celebrated the decision in the streets of Van on Wednesday. NuJINHA spoke to some of them.

“Fortunately, we have taken back what is ours by resisting,” said Ayşe Aslan. “As mothers, we want the Kurdish people to always succeed and demand what is theirs. Today, we did this today; we have taken back what is ours. Thanks to our women and young people, we won a victory today. No one can usurp our will as long as we exist. We will keep resisting.”

‘We will leave our city to the AKP and MHP’

“We defended our legal rights with our own strength,” said Kadriye Gezici. “We will resist to the end. We will send the appointed mayor and the AKP from our city. We are not alone; the people in four parts of Kurdistan stand with us. They appointed mayors to our cities because we all remained silent when Selahattin Demirtaş was arrested. Everyone should know very well that we will never leave our city to the AKP and MHP even if one Kurdish youth survives.”

‘We are not afraid of their tear gas or armored vehicles’

The Kurdish people are never alone, emphasized Kadriye Gezici. “The AKP-MHP government should know that we are not alone; we are more than you. We won by resisting and we will always resist. The AKP-MHP government has heavy weapons and armored vehicles but we have a strong will. We are not afraid of their tear gas or armored vehicles. The enemy must know very well that we are not afraid of it. The Kurdish people have a strong will.”

‘Women were at the forefront of the protests’

“Women were at the forefront of the protests. Women resisted and won this victory,” said Selma Bozkur. “The people of Van won this victory with the philosophy of Jin, Jiyan, Azadi. They resisted and took back their city. It is time for us. It is time for the Kurdish people. We will always resist those who do not respect our will.”