Our Interviews

november 07, 2020

“We don`t really know the details. There are new developments on a daily basis. We are following them via the media. Troops have been deployed and there is talk about ongoing negotiations. Until now, there haven`t been any clashes. This is important. Of course, there is the historic decision of the Sinjar People`s Council. Sinjar`s population is protesting on the streets, especially the Ezidis. They are leading a struggle. Their official institutions have also given several statements. They have stated that they won`t give up their freedom and Democratic Autonomy. This is important. Many people consider this very important. It is also important that there haven`t been any clashes so far.We cannot know how all of this will end. A huge number of troops has been deployed. There is definitely a lot of movement on the ground. But it is not clear where all of this will lead. Because the public is following the events closely and the people on the ground are resisting. So things are not really going according to plan for them [Baghdad, Erbil etc.]. This is clear. But they have also so far not been able to find a real solution.

We really hope that the politicians in Baghdad will intervene and that the Iraqi government will act wisely. If they continue these developments, they will be remembered side by side with the IS. We hope that they won`t put themselves in such a position. As the PKK we have retreated from Sinjar. Really all of our forces were pulled out of the region. We hope that they won`t make us regret this. We hope that they won`t leave us any other choice but to intervene in Sinjar again. We are following the events very patiently and carefully. So this is what we expect. Iraq has to take the necessary steps.

There is something that is really difficult to understand: The US government is involved in the current developments. They are the driving force between this deal [Baghdad-Erbil deal on Sinjar, released Oct 9, 2020]. They promoted it. The US government made the opening statements for this deal. So this is what we don`t understand: What kind of harm does the autonomy of Sinjar cause a country like the United States of America that itself consists of 50 united states? What is so upsetting for the USA about an autonomous status of Sinjar? Sinjar could declare itself a state instead of an autonomous region and still unite with Baghdad. The USA are united states – how did they unite all these states? So there really is no contradiction between the political system of the USA and the demands of Sinjar`s population and the Ezidi Kurds. Why then do the USA not approve of something that is very close to their own system? Why do they want to crush the Democratic Autonomy and the people`s will that is connected with it? This is what we cannot understand.

On the other side, there is the Iraqi constitution. Everybody has read it and so have we. In the Iraqi constitution you can find concepts like autonomy and self-governance. It is a constitution that gives space to and allows a variety of local and regional forms of governance. The Democratic Autonomy that has been developed in Sinjar does not brake the Iraqi constitution. It is part of this constitution. Constitutionally it could easily be accepted. If the Baghdad government dealt with the issue on the basis of a mentality and policy that goes in line with the constitution, it could constitutionally accept the Sinjar administration as a part of the country. There is nothing that would speak against this. So why do the still reject it? Why does the Iraqi government threaten to destroy all this? In this case, the government is contradicting its own constitution.

The KDP is very much dominated by a very narrow, family-based and tribal understanding of governance and policy. But in South Kurdistan there is at least a government of parties. Political parties play a role in various fields. So in South Kurdistan, too, there is not such a highly centralized government. So why does it enforce something on Sinjar that doesn`t exist in South Kurdistan? Why does the KDP do that? Why does it insist on such a centralized structure? The KDP says that anything else would be tantamount to the PKK. At the moment state employees and workers are protesting on the streets. The situation ins South Kurdistan is very tense. Is the PKK responsible for all this? Or is it not the policy of the KDP that has led to this situation? We have to acknowledge the truth and be realistic. They talk about the PKK a lot. This is part of their political understanding and practice which don`t serve the national interests and are not democratic. This is wrong.

Additionally: What is the result of all this? The standards they enforce on Sinjar are the standards of the centralist, fascist Turkish dictatorship. Everybody can see that it is Turkey who welcomes the current developments in Sinjar. That`s why everybody is saying that the developments in Sinjar are the result of the pressure of the AKP-MHP fascism. This is more than obvious. So they expect Sinjar to adapt the Turkish way of governing. Turkey has subjected North Kurdistan to a centralist and fascist dictatorship. And now they are asking Sinjar to subject itself to the same kind of government.

This is what is being enforced on Sinjar. Not even Iraq and South Kurdistan are like that. You won`t be able to govern Sinjar like that. The demands of Sinjar`s population and the Ezidi community are really nothing special. They have witnessed 74 massacres. They have seen so many massacres. They have no hope or trust left. All the forces share the responsibility for this situation. That is why all of them have a responsibility to fulfill. This is the historic and social reality of the Ezidis. Deploying 10.000 or 20.000 soldiers against such a community and threatening to crush them – and calling all this bravery. Well, this is really not the best kind of bravery. Nobody will declare them heroes for doing this. The PKK has rescued this community from a genocide committed by IS. If you try to massacre such a community, you won`t become a hero. Even if you did it anyways, you would just become the shadow of IS. You would become part of IS. But to be remembered as having stood side by side with IS is not good for anybody.

This is what we can say [about Sinjar]. The current situation has probably been acknowledged a little bit. That is why politicians in Baghdad have spoken out against the practice of the government. The South Kurdish society has done the same. They all support the Democratic Autonomy of Sinjar. In Sinjar itself there is also a willpower that has developed over time. The community of Sinjar is asking: `Where were you six years ago when we were faced with a genocide? And what do you want from us now? What are you even doing here?` The community, the women and the youth of Sinjar have every right in the world to ask those coming to Sinjar these questions. It is important to acknowledge this truth. Actually, the KDP should have taken an appropriate position. The political forces of South Kurdistan should have played a leading role to this effect. But as a result of the influence of the AKP, MHP and USA an anti-PKK policy has developed into the dominant tendency and has led to completely wrong results. They are increasingly moving away from a national and democratic policy line.”