25th of November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Meanwhile, it is the sixth anniversary of the martyrdom of Şehîd Elefteria Hambî. To commemorate this significant day, we present an interview with comrade Viyan Kiçî, who shared a close bond with Şehîd Elefteria in the free mountains of Kurdistan. Through Şehîd Elefteria, we honour all the revolutionary women who sacrificed their lives for freedom and a better world.
My name is Viyan Kiçî. When I met Heval Elefteria first, I was in Garê, Sêdarê (Southern-Kurdistan), in a mixed unit. Life as a guerrilla in the unit is well known: it mostly consists of practical tasks such as building caves, acting as a courier, taking shifts on hilltops, capturing new hilltops and organizing logistics. At that time, there were more than 20 comrades in our group. It was in Garê Sêdarê that I met Heval Elefteria, who came to us for her new tasks. What touched me most when the comrade came to us were her eyes. They were a deep shade of blue. She also had a beautiful smile. When she reached the mountains, she was full of curiosity, love, morals and joy. She not only caught my attention, but she also caught the attention of all her comrades around her, especially with her broad smile. When she arrived, they greeted her and immediately set about preparing tea and food. But it was as if Heval Elefteria had already lived with us for years; she prepared the water for the tea herself. She integrated herself into our lives very quickly, adapting with ease. At first, she observed her comrades closely and got to know them all better, but she quickly won a place in their hearts. With her sparkling eyes and smile, she brought them joy. We lived together in the unit. The number of male comrades and women comrades constantly changed, but there were always more of us women. We carried out practical work without any break, day and night. There was always a drone above our location and our possibilities were drastically reduced; guerrilla life had changed. We had to adapt to these changes. It was necessary to try our hardest, day and night.
Heval Elefteria came from Germany with experience when she reached her first place in the mountains. During our daily lives together, she would talk to us and share things, especially stories about her life in the forest. She had always lived in the forest, fighting against state violence that threatened the ecology of her homeland. She was a rebel and had always acted radically in this regard. This is why she left the city; her life had been in the forest ever since, and she was one with nature — she knew every plant. She saw everything that passed before her in a very special way: her interactions with the plants and her love for animals. When she saw an animal, she would look at it, but her approach was truly unique. Heval Elefteria had reached a point where she felt connected to nature. For these reasons, she experienced few difficulties in guerrilla life. Her beautiful connection with nature was a part of her, and there were many examples of this. One day, instead of watching out, Elefteria was collecting and eating various plants — she loved nature so much. If we accidentally cut a plant, she would become very angry because she could not bear it and always defended nature. Her feelings for nature were very intense.
After spending some time in the mountains, her stance as a guerrilla became more and more clear: her comradeship, her interactions, her love, her connection with the ideas of Rêber Apo (Abdullah Öcalan, the ideological leader of the Kurdistan freedom movement) and her identity as a woman. Day by day, she grew stronger. When she joined the unit, she did not encounter many difficulties, but of course, all comrades are confronted with challenges, whether they want it or not. Above all, when it comes to exchange, attitudes and life in general, if you want to learn, you have to put in a lot of effort. But each day that Heval Elefteria moved on, her eyes were shining brighter. Her conversations and her comradeship became more profound. The comrades gathered around her as she created a sense of communal life and developed her language until she could fully express herself. She read a lot of Rêber Apo’s writings and discussed it with the comrades. She shared the problems she experienced. She was able to share everything she felt. Because of this, she adapted very quickly and found her place in the hearts of her comrades. She shaped her personality, and I would say that she set an example for the unit by coming from Germany to resist in the mountains of Kurdistan. She had traveled thousands of kilometers to reach Rojava, participated in the revolution and witnessed it with her own eyes. It had a profound influence on her. As a woman, she always pursued her chosen goal. Kurdish, Arab and women from many different nations in Rojava fought together against ISIS and shaped the revolution. Heval Elefteria was deeply impressed by these women and moved by the revolution. She continued to resist until she reached the mountains.
When she came to the mountains, she could understand them. She felt at one with nature and had a very natural energy. When you think of Heval Elefteria, nature immediately comes to mind. In fact, it got to the point where we used to joke about her not choosing the name ‘Xweza’ (nature). Through the influence of the revolution and the mountains, she found her place in the world. She would often say, “I wish I had come much earlier.” Of course, she also experienced difficulties, but she shared everything. Of course, it is not easy to travel thousands of kilometers, cross the Middle East and reach places of constant war— a lake of blood, a place of constant killing and genocide. To come to a place known as such. Whether you like it or not, there are many negative perceptions of the region from the outside. But Kurdistan is also a place of culture and art, and people there have always played an important role in struggles and resistance. She had taken part in actions and uprisings before. When she arrived in the mountains, she did so with an open mind. She confronted her fears and pain head on; she never saw them as obstacles. Her thoughts, particularly with regard to ecological movements, were beautiful and profound. She wrote about these things several times and shared them with us. Over time, she wanted to take different steps to organize things, to spread the ideas of Rêber Apo and to grow the women’s freedom movement. She always had goals for the future. During our discussions and conversations, we shared our views with her. What I can particularly say about her personality is that she was always a loving comrade. Heval Elefteria was very clear-minded — she never wavered between the right and the left path, nor between acting and not acting. She was very confident of herself and determined. If she did not accept something, not even a thousand comrades could convince her. Even when negative outcomes occurred, her strong personality shone through.
She could carry heavy burdens. For example, when we were going through very difficult times and there were four or five drones constantly circling our area, Heval Elefteria went to support the comrades responsible for logistics. Due to the drones, they had to carry out most of their work at night. She volunteered to take on these tasks. I actually wanted her to stay in the caves — maybe it would be too difficult for her outside; maybe she would feel better inside. As a comrade who came from Europe, we needed to be especially careful to protect her. We wanted to look after her. At first, we brought her into the cave, but after a few days, she couldn’t take it anymore. She said, ‘Heval, I want to go and carry the logistics. I want to learn how to work underneath the drone. I can carry this weight. I know I can fight the enemy.” For her, working outside and moving under the drone all the way to the tunnel was an adventure. She insisted on joining this group. It didn’t matter what we did or didn’t do — she was determined. She had to learn to deal with her difficulties and the weight. She wasn’t used to it. Until then, she had never carried such heavy loads over such long distances. She told us that she also had to organize logistics in the forest sometimes. But in the PKK movement, where the enemy poses a very serious and constant danger and defense is necessary from all sides, everything is connected and requires effort. Heval Elefteria was not completely unfamiliar with it. Even though she had no experience in many areas, it was not a problem for her. That is why she wanted to develop herself through effort — her life began with effort. Effort makes you strong and allows you to grow; it is through effort that you learn. It was through her initiative that she joined the logistics work.
She truly took on a vanguard role. While the comrades were on the move from morning until night, she stayed awake the entire time. She took no breaks until the work was finished. She worked all day. Even when the conditions prevented the completion of the logistics — when all the comrades were tired, hadn’t eaten or were not feeling good — she continued the work. Heval Elefteria was a remarkable vanguard in this field, too. She always wanted to learn more. Sometimes, when you saw her looking at a stone, you could tell that she was seeing it in a completely different way and giving it a whole new meaning. For her, everything was alive. Heval Elefteria became a role model for all her comrades. During our meetings, her name was mentioned many times as an example. She fought too, naturally taking on the role of a vanguard. She advanced quickly, supporting the comrades and taking over their tasks if necessary. She was determined to foster a spirit of comradeship, and the other comrades recognized this. This created a deep connection between us.
Another notable aspect of her character was her deep connection to plants and herbs—she had a particular love for nettles. When you touch this plant, it stings and burns. Usually, it’s not something you can easily take, though sometimes comrades use it as medicine. Heval Elefteria collected these plants around our area every day. Whenever I went looking for her, she was gathering nettles like a nomad. Nomads are known for their connection to nature, their hard work, and their sweat. Her face always turned red quickly. Her life and love were universal. We always called Heval Elefteria “Keça Koçera”—which means “nomadic girl”—and she was happy about it. Plants, flowers, water, and fruit abound in Sêdarê, which is known for its fruits and cold waters. It is like a paradise. Heval Elefteria always said that she was lucky the comrades sent her to this region. “Maybe they knew that I love nature so much.” I would therefore call her the truest comrade of nature.
We can also mention her combative personality. We took over some new mountaintops. Before, our comrades placed themselves on these mountaintops, but then they were left empty for a while. As the war progressed, we decided to place ourselves on these mountaintops for preparation. Peaks such as Barût and Polat were to be taken. When we planned to place ourselves on Barût, we assembled a team. We decided to send Heval Elefteria as well so she could learn and gain experience. She already knew how to react to drones, how to move, especially alone, and how to change her position and meet comrades. She had moved with a courier from one place to another many times. She had reached the level where she could adapt to guerrilla life. We discussed with the comrades who to send, and everyone agreed that we should send her. We knew that if we didn’t, she wouldn’t accept it and would rebel. At all the meetings, she would have asked, “Why wasn’t I sent?” So, it was good for both the comrades and her. She put in a great deal of effort and spent a long time working. Heval Elefteria loved nature very much. The peak was very high, and the atmosphere there changed greatly for her. Shortly before she left, she was very serious, with her weapon freshly cleaned and her ammunition and other necessities prepared. The comrades prepared so thoroughly that they were ready for a war situation. The atmosphere was truly like a state of emergency. With her preparations, she was ready for an operation. She filled this role well, carrying her bag, weapon, and ammunition belt.
Given all the joy and love she gave us, it was impossible not to be touched by it. We knew that she would fly out of happiness when she reached the mountain peak. With the sounds of “tîlîlî” (shouts of joy), clapping, and slogans, the comrades set off. The peak was not far away—maybe half an hour to forty minutes. The comrades stayed on the peak. I often visited them. Sometimes they came down for education sessions, classes and meetings. After Heval Elefteria went to the peak, she changed even more. It became impossible to get her away from the mountaintop because she loved it so much. Once, when I went to visit the comrades, I looked for Heval Elefteria and found her surveying defensive positions. We had used these peaks before, so ammunition and supplies were still hidden everywhere. Wherever comrades had once been, you could still find things they had left behind.
Heval Elefteria wanted to get to know the area, so she wandered around to explore it. She had a good understanding of military strategy. She once said to Heval Viyan, “When attacks happen, this will be our defensive position.” This made me very happy. A person, especially a guerrilla, must choose a place for self-defense before going to fight somewhere. The essential area must be chosen based on its defensive capabilities. Heval Elefteria understood this, and I was pleased. Having a comrade realize things this way in such a short time is a reason for joy. Heval Elefteria was full of love for the peak. No matter what we did or didn’t do, she stayed there. In the end, I went to the peak myself to bring her down with difficulty so that she could support the comrades in the cave with their tasks. Afterwards, I’m not completely sure, but I think she wanted to return to the peak. Instead, however, we brought her into the caves, where she stayed for a while.
In general, after some time, the comrades are changing their tasks. For example, consider the mental effort required to build caves and tunnels. The comrades built all of the tunnels themselves, and they were all young. They worked with mines, hammer drills, shovels, and pickaxes. Some prepared the clay and some used wheelbarrows. Heval Elefteria contributed greatly to building the tunnels with the comrades and shaping communal life. She devoted all her energy and intelligence to it. She wanted to understand and saw that guerrilla life was very difficult, but it was her calling. She was moved by it and wanted to learn everything she could. She always asked questions, participated in discussions, shared her opinions, and offered suggestions. She was open-minded and flexible, not dogmatic. She was only sometimes stubborn, which may have been influenced by German culture. But we saw it as a positive trait.
Yet, if she was not convinced about something, it was difficult to change her mind. She was a fighter and a rebel. She could endure great effort. Her martyrdom was extremely hard on us. The organization had high hopes for Heval Elefteria and always kept up with her progress. All the comrades asked about her and sent greetings. Everyone who met her remembered her; she had found a place in their hearts. Through her efforts, she developed deep bonds with the comrades. That is why her martyrdom was so difficult for us—for the organization, her family, and all the comrades who knew her. However, for us, there is no difference between comrades who give their lives for this revolution and this philosophy, whether they are Kurdish or from other nations, or from the Middle East or Europe. We live a life centered on ideas that bring us together from all over the world. We proudly follow in the footsteps of Şehîd Elefteria, and we still talk about her today. No matter how much I try to share, I cannot say enough about Heval Elefteria’s great love. Her perception, understanding, and expression were very special. Through her efforts, attitude, belief in change, and practice, she proved herself in this revolution. That is what I can share about Şehîd Elefteria.
To all comrades who wish to follow in her footsteps, I would like to say that she is still alive for us. She was a person who left her homeland, crossed rivers and seas, and fought for other oppressed societies. She came to the mountains, a place where thousands of comrades resisted and were martyred. It takes a strong and self-sacrificing stance to struggle in these places. This comrade undertook such a long journey to fight oppression and achieve freedom. To me, this is the most meaningful stance in the world. We say that all martyrs are our light. Heval Elefteria is one of them. It is important for all comrades who knew her—in Germany or elsewhere—to learn about her attitude during the Rojava revolution and her struggle in the mountains. They must learn about her will, conviction, and belief in order to carry on her legacy. I see this as a very important point.
Heval Elefteria is an example for all of us—not only for Kurdish women, but also for German women and women around the world. She was a pioneer for us all. She was a truly beautiful woman. When you looked at her and saw her smile, you could see her inner and outer beauty. As beautiful as she was on the outside, her thoughts were equally beautiful on the inside. Her thoughts and soul were one. This is what I can share with you. Of course, we have some shared memories, but many years have passed. The more you talk about them, the more vivid they become. I can now share these memories with you.