Thousands of Kurdish women have marched in the southeastern region of Turkey, commemorating three Kurdish women assassinated in France in January. The rallies on Sunday were part of a series of events planned for the week to observe the upcoming International Women’s Day.

The largest demonstration was held in Diyarbakir, the region’s biggest city, which has been torn apart by clashes between the army and pro-Kurdish armed group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for more than 30 years.

Thousands of women shouted slogans protesting the death of the three women. 

PKK members Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Soylemez were shot dead at the Kurdistan Information Bureau in Paris on January 10.

Gultan Kisanak, the female co-leader of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), also attended the demonstration initiated by Democratic Free Women Movement, a Kurdish NGO. BDP has 29 members in parliament.

The demonstrators also shouted slogans opposing violence against women in Turkey and in support of gender equality.

The rally came during talks between the Turkish intelligence agency and imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to find a solution to the decades-long armed conflict.

A message from Ocalan was also read at the event, in which he said, “People whose women are not free cannot be free”. The message drew loud applause.