The PKK Culture and Art Committee said that each and every life lost in traffic accidents causes great pain and sadness.

Mazdek Ararat (Ömer Bağcı) lost his life in a traffic accident on 13 September 2019 when he was in office.

He was buried in Martyr Dicle Cemetery in Kobanê on 14 September.

The PKK Culture and Art Committee said: "We express our condolences to the family and friends of our comrade Mazdek Ararat, our esteemed artist and freedom militant, who we lost in a traffic accident in Rojava Kurdistan. We also wish to send our best wishes to the wounded friends and wish them a speedy recovery."

The statement added: "It has increased our sorrow to learn that our dear comrade lost his life in a traffic accident. Paying a price in a revolutionary arena is of paramount value, but it is not uncommon for traffic accidents to occur frequently."

The statement recalled that "in the same way last year, we lost our fellow Argentinean internationalist revolutionary Doctor Alina (Legerin) in a traffic accident. We have suffered many such losses. For this reason, we say that the measures and decisions taken by our Autonomous Administration to prevent traffic accidents should be made without compromise and our entire society should be educated sufficiently."

The statement continued: "Under each accident there is a rule and negligence. The importance we attach to discipline is the value we give to life. Let us not forget that at the source of our life discipline is our philosophy of free life. Let's turn this into a culture at every moment of life, let's not allow easy losses!"

The statement ended with a call: "Our call to all our art friends and people, is to respond to Comrade Mazdek by turning this loss into an opportunity to produce outstanding achievements in our art!"