Tens of thousands of people have gathered for the funeral of three Kurdish activists who were found shot dead in Paris while a Kurdish politician vowed to support peace efforts to end a decades-old conflict.

The three women activists, including a founding member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, were slain last week at a time when Turkey is holding peace talks with the rebels' jailed leader. Many believe the killings may be an effort to derail the talks.

Thousands of mourners assembled behind the coffins draped in the flags of the PKK at the victims funeral Thursday in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir.

Chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, Selahattin Demirtas, told the crowd that the killings would not deter Kurds from seeking peace.