News Center- The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Youth Council and Young Women’s Coordination organized a football tournament in memory of Kemal Kurkut, who was killed by the police in 2017 during Newroz celebration in Diyarbakır. A total of 152 teams, 12 of which were women’s teams, competed in the Grand Final of the Marmara Region. In Istanbul, six teams competed. Children’s teams, women’s teams and mixed teams competed in the tournament held at the Karadolap Club’s Sport Facility in Eyüpsultan.

Before the matches started, hundreds of people danced halay and shouted slogans such as “Jin jiyan azadi (Women, Life, Freedom)”, “Free press cannot be silenced”, “Long live the resistance in prisons” and “Kemal Kurkut is immortal”.

Women press workers’ football team

The members of football teams also danced halay before the matches.  The last teams, “Çapemeniya Jinên Azad (Free Women’s Press”, consisting of women press workers, and “Sîya jinê (Shadow of Women)”, consisting of the activists of the Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA) had a match. After Peace Mothers’ Initiative Spokesperson Güler Buğday kicked the ball, the match started.

“We will strengthen our struggle with the power we get from our friends”

Before the award ceremony, HDP Young Women’s Coordination member Sevda Tosun made a speech and pointed out that the attacks on Kurdish youth and people have been intensified. “An operation was planned to arrest HDP MP Semra Güzel. They (anti-terrorist officers) pulled her hair in order to hold her head down. However, Semra Güzel sent her greetings to the people by holding her head straight. We say to those who target us that we will strengthen our struggle with the power we get from our representative Semra Güzel and our friends.”

Gülüm: We will keep resisting

HDP Istanbul MP Züleyha Gülüm also made a speech and said, “Today, we promise once again that we will never be defeated, that we will not bow down, that we will keep resisting and that we will build our future.”

The cup has been dedicated to jailed journalists

Jinnews editor Nişmiye Güler made a speech on behalf of the “Çapemeniya Jinên Azad”. “We dedicate this cup to our 16 colleagues, who have been arrested for following the truth and to all press workers who were martyred while following the truth. Free press cannot be silenced.” At that moment, hundreds of people shouted, “Free press cannot be silenced”.