Diyarbakir men: We are ashamed of masculinity that kills women

According to KurdPress, Diyarbakir citizens, including a number of male members and managers of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (Dem Party) and the Democratic Regions Party, marched in the Baghlar district of Diyarbakir against violence and femicide.

The participants gathered in front of the Dem Party headquarters in Baghlar and marched to Karanfil Park. They carried banners with the themes "We are ashamed of masculinity that kills women," "Break the silence," and "We start the change from ourselves."Serhad Erin and Mehmet Kamaç, Dem Party deputies from Diyarbakir in the Turkish Parliament, Mehmet Emin Ay, Co-Mayor of Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality, Yunus Murat Akan, Co-Head of Dem Party Provincial Organization, a number of mayors, municipal employees and representatives of parties and civil society organizations participated in the march.

Mehmet Emin Ay: Violence against women is not a personal issue

Mehmet Emin Ay, Co-Mayor of Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality, said that this is the first time that a march with the presence of men against violence and oppression against women has been held in Turkish Kurdistan and throughout Turkey.

He said: “Violence against women is not a personal issue, but the result of a patriarchal and domineering mentality that is reproduced in society. Women resist and fight every day and every moment and have never backed down from this struggle. We salute the struggle and resistance of women.»

Referring to the role of women in confronting oppressive systems, Ay added that wherever patriarchal and power-based structures have dominated society, human values ​​have been weakened and women have been the first targets of these systems.

He called on men to stand by women and accept their responsibility in confronting violence: “In order to prevent these crimes and strengthen the idea of ​​women’s liberation, we will fulfill any responsibility that is entrusted to us with all our heart and sincerity.”

The co-mayor of Diyarbakir added that the local administration and political activists of the city are committed to preventing the murder of women and confronting the patriarchal mentality in all areas.

Mehmet Kamaç: These statistics are not just numbers; each one is a life

Mehmet Kamaç, a Diyarbakir MP from the Dem Party, said that the march was held in response to women’s calls to confront violence and femicide.He addressed the women: “We are here too, we are with you and we all stand together.”

Referring to the statistics of murders of women, Kamaç added: “In 2025, 294 women were murdered across Turkey, and in the first eight months of this year, 189 women were murdered. In the past month alone, four women were murdered in Diyarbakir. These are not just statistics; each one is a life.”

He considered the policy of impunity to be one of the factors that continue violence against women, and said that the lack of clarity in cases such as Gulistan Doku, Rozin Kabayş and Rozulat Kızmaz emboldens the perpetrators of violence.

Kamaç emphasized: “What is being killed is not just a woman; it is the values ​​and future of this society. If a woman is murdered, the first people who should stand up to it are men.»

Women are still not seen as equal actors

Mehmed Kamaç considered femicide an issue arising from the prevailing mentality of society and said that women are still not seen as equal actors and half of society in politics, economy and social life.

He added: “No one can remove women from their place as actors in life. Women have been and will be present in politics, economy, business and all areas of society.”

The party representative called on women and men across Turkey to form a joint struggle to confront violence and murder of women and said: “We call from the historical city of Diyarbakir to all of Turkey; let us women and men fight together against femicide.”

The march ended after a statement was read and slogans were chanted against violence and murder of women.