Photos by Maryam Ashrāfi:
A woman mourns defiantly, Paris, Jan 2013
Thousands of Kurds marched in Paris today calling for a speedier investigation into the brutal murders of three Kurdish women politicians on 9th January 2012. Chief suspect Omer Guney, a Turkish immigrant in France, is still being held in custody and Reuters has reported on his suspected links to Turkish intelligence.
12 months ago Kurds filled the streets of Paris to say farewell to Sakine Cansız, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Söylemez and to demand a justice that they are still awaiting. Photojournalist Maryam Ashrāfi covered those events and today’s protest and this is her photographic retrospective.
January 2013:
FRANCE.PARIS. 10/01/2013: A group of Kurdish people gathered in Paris in protest against the death a female founder member of the Kurdish PKK rebel group and two other female activists who were shot dead in Paris. The body of Sakine Cansiz, who promoted the role of women in the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group, and the two other victims, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Soylemez, were found soon after midnight on Thursday in an institute in central Paris with close links to the PKK
FRANCE.PARIS. 10/01/2013: More protests
FRANCE.PARIS. 12/01/2013: Thousands of Kurds from across Europe marched in Paris on the Saturday after the murder, demanding justice for three activists shot dead in the French capital. “We are all PKK” and “The martyrs won’t die” were some of the slogans chanted by the crowd, raising Kurdish flags and giant banners plastered with photos of the three women and Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
FRANCE. PARIS. Villiers-le Bel. 15/01/2013: A farewell ceremony was held for the three murdered women, attended by the friends and families of the victims, representatives of Kurdish political parties, and representatives of women’s organizations and movements all around Europe. And thousands more gathered to bid the women farewell before their bodies were repatriated to Diyarbakir.
FRANCE.PARIS. 26/01/2013: A Large group of young Kurds from across Europe marched in Paris, demanding justice for three activists shot dead in the French capital. Kurdish people have been gathered in Paris and other cities around the world on different occasions in protest against the murders.
January 2014:
Paris 11/01/2014: One year one, Kurds are still demanding justice
All photos © Maryam Ashrāfi
Maryam Ashrāfi is a photojournalist based in Paris: www.maryamashrafi.com