ŞIRNEX - Sultan Yıldıztan, the mother of Deniz Fırat, who was killed in a DAESH attack on Makhmour Camp, said she wanted to visit her daughter’s grave in the Ebex district of Wan. She said, “We want to return to our homeland with dignity.”

 

Twelve years have passed since journalist Deniz Fırat was killed in a DAESH attack on Makhmour Camp on August 8, 2014. In her 30 years, Deniz Fırat dedicated her life to a struggle for truth forged through resistance.

 

Deniz Fırat was born in 1984 in the village of Xec Xatun, in Wan’s Ebex district. Located on the border between Turkey and Iran, the village was repeatedly targeted by attacks, prompting the family to move first to the city of Maku in Rojhilat in 1990, and later to Urmia. Some time after the family moved to Rojhilat, Deniz Fırat’s elder sister, Binevş (Ayfer Yıldıztan), joined the PKK. Iranian regime intelligence arrested Deniz Fırat’s mother and father. The family continued to face pressure and persecution but did not back down from its resistance. After her parents were arrested, Deniz Fırat was left alone with her sister Sarya for two months and they received no word from their parents.

 

‘I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THE MOUNTAINS…’

 

The family was forced to flee once again, settling in Zelê Camp in the Xakûrkê area of the Kurdistan Region. There, Deniz Fırat witnessed Turkish warplanes bombing the area and the death of her younger brother Delil, who lost his life after being denied access to the medical treatment he needed.  Deniz Fırat remained in Xakûrkê from 1991 to 1992, a period during which she witnessed attacks by Turkey and the KDP in the Kurdistan Region. It was also during these years that she and her sister Sarya (Sakine Yıldıztan), inspired by Gülnaz Karataş’s act, decided to join the PKK. Deniz Fırat fought on many fronts, saying, “I cannot live without the mountains, I cannot breathe without my comrades, I cannot find meaning without labour, and I cannot exist without struggle.” Her sister Binevş, who had joined the PKK, was killed in a clash in Zap in 1997. Two years later, Deniz Fırat learned that her sister Sarya had also lost her life. Despite these losses, she continued to take an active role in various areas of the Kurdish freedom struggle. In 2007, she began working as a journalist.

 

YEARS IN THE FREE PRESS

 

Deniz Fırat began her career in journalism with the magazine “Tanrıça Zilan” and later worked for “Dengê Welat” radio. She then reported from Makhmour Camp for the newspaper “Rojeva Welat” as well as various television channels and news agencies. In 2011, Deniz Fırat continued her work in the press under the Yekitîya Ragihandina Demokratîk (YRD). While working as a journalist in Makhmour Camp, she produced numerous reports for the weekly newspaper “Rojeva Welat”, Stêrk TV, JINHA, ROJNEWS and ANF. On August 6, 2014, when DAESH launched its attacks on Makhmour, Deniz Fırat took up her camera to record and document the attacks. She was killed two days later, on August 8, 2014, while covering the attacks. In accordance with her wishes, Deniz Fırat was buried in Xec Xatun village in Wan’s Ebex district, the village her family had been forced to leave, in a funeral attended by thousands.

 

‘TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD…’

 

Sultan Yıldıztan, the mother of Deniz Fırat who lives in Makhmour, spoke about her daughter on the anniversary of her death and said she wanted to visit her grave. Honoring Deniz Fırat and all the Free Press martyrs who lost their lives, Sultan Yıldıztan said: “Deniz grew up within the party from a young age. To make the truth of the Kurdish people known to the world, she first took up a weapon and later picked up a camera. She documented the oppression and suffering endured by the Kurdish people and shared with the world. She lost her life in Makhmour while pursuing this cause. The fact that she and her sister, who joined the party with her, lost their lives on the same day, 15 years apart, made our  family’s grief even greater.”

 

‘DOZENS MORE FOLLOWED IN DENIZ’S FOOTSTEPS’

 

Sultan Yıldıztan said the Free Press has been a key pillar of the Kurdish struggle, adding: “The whole world ignored DAESH’s attacks on the Kurdish people. It was the free press that made this reality and truth known to world. Deniz Fırat, Nujiyan Erhan, Rizgar Deniz and many others brought this truth to the world. Deniz was also among those who made this truth known in many fields. After Deniz was martyred, dozens of people took her name and picked up her camera, carrying on her work. Her sister Beritan picked up her camera after her martyrdom and continues to follow in her footsteps. Today, there is a peace process thanks to their efforts. If the state is engaging with the Kurdish people, it is thanks to the efforts of these martyrs.”

 

‘THE FREE PRESS MUST BE DEFENDED’

 

Stressing the need to defend the Fress Press, Sultan Yıldıztan continued: “The Free Press has come this far at a great cost. Many journalists have been killed. The Kurdish people are known around the world today because of their efforts. The Peace and Democratic Society Process, launched under the leadership of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, is a result of these efforts. The Kurdish people have witnessed great suffering. There are still mothers who have not been able to find the remains of their children. If Kurdish mothers have always called for peace despite everything, everyone needs to understand its importance. We have been away from the lands where we were born and raised since the 1990s. We want to return to our homeland with dignity. If peace is achieved, we want to return to our lands.”

 

‘WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO VISIT THE PLACE WHERE SHE WAS MARTYRED FOR YEARS’

 

Sultan Yıldıztan said Iraqi government-affiliated forces stationed on Mount Qereçox, where Deniz Fırat lost her life, have prevented them from visiting the site, citing it as a “military zone.” She said: “Every anniversary of Deniz’s martyrdom is difficult for me. Mount Qereçox, where Deniz was martyred, is right across from our home. Every year on the anniversary, we used to go to the spot where she was martyred. We built water reservoir there and planted trees. We have been prevented from visiting ever since the HPG left the hill and Iraqi government forces took up positions there. We tried to go several times, but were prevented on the grounds that it is a military zone.”

 

‘LET THERE BE PEACE SO WE CAN RETURN TO OUR HOMELAND’

 

Recalling that one of Deniz Fırat’s greatest dreams was to have tea by Lake Wan, Sultan Yıldıztan said: “This was the dream of many martyrs. Her wish was to be buried in her village. We fulfilled that wish. A grave had been prepared for Deniz in Qandil, but another comrade was buried in the grave that had been prepared. Sometimes I visit that grave as Deniz’s grave. I want to visit Deniz’s grave. Every year on the anniversary of her martyrdom, I send greetings to her. I hope that we too can return to our homeland soon and visit our graves. This is a great pain. Let there be peace so that we can return to our homeland as soon as possible.”

 

MA / Emrullah Acar