On the mountains, where Kurdish guerrillas are
On the mountains, where Kurdish guerrillas are
We are where the guerrillas are. We witness the nature changing its colours as the season changes from autumn to winter. Passing through pathways almost closed by fallen leaves, we reach a guerrilla camp hosting young people who have recently taken to the mountains.
They seem to be feeling excited. This place is full of youths trying to learn something new, keeping their eyes alert on the surrounding areas. They are trying to learn from what their comrades, who have spent years in the fiercest territory of these mountains, do.
Each one of them came form different places of Kurdistan, its cities, towns and villages. Some couldn't finish the primary school, while some others dropped out of the most prominent departments of universities, some worked as laborers or were involved in political activities. We learn that some of these young people joined the guerilla because they refused to become village guards, some fled from the brutality and violence they had suffered in the prison of Pozantý. Some others left after the Roboski massacre. Some want to be a voice against the solitary confinement of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, while others chose this way for they refused to remain silent about the ruling AKP government's war policy. A policy aimed at destroying and ignoring Kurds.
We want to have a closer look on the stories of these young people who have chosen to go to the mountains. There is a group called Axçýra, the name of the village they came from in Bitlis. Apart from these seven youths who have recently joined guerrilla ranks, many other young people have so far joined the guerrilla from this village which is known for the patriotic stance of its people. Each one of these seven youths has another relative in guerrilla ranks. They have chosen code-names for themselves: Þervan, Amara, Sipan, Agît, Eriþ and Rubar.
Guerilla Sarina came from the village of Axçayýz (Adilvaz/Bitlis). He never went to school. He has three other brothers among the guerilla ranks. One of them lost his life in clashes and two others are still fighting for the Kurdish guerilla movement. "It was my childhood dream to join the guerrilla", Sarina says, emotion in his eyes.
Young guerrilla trainee Erdevan Zaxoyi was born in the city of Zaxo in South Kurdistan in 1985. He was able to continue his school for eight years only. He was taken into custody three times by the South Kurdistan government. His most recent detention happened after he joined the Newroz celebrations. Erdevan says he joined the guerrilla to protest against the severe isolation of PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) leader Abdullah Öcalan, and underlines; "If there will be a true progress in Kurdistan, that will be owing to the PKK".
Another young guerrilla, Asya Gilidað, who was born in Iðdýr in 1992, joined the guerrilla from Ankara where she had been studying at the faculty of language history and geography of Ankara University for three years. She tells she was subjected to constant insults and pressures for being a Kurd during the years she was staying at a student dormitory of a Fethullah Gülen's school. She says she also witnessed how the people there tried to assimilate Kurdish youths. Despite the fact that she wasn't involved or interested in politics, she started to feel great anger because of pro-Fethullah circles and ther insults against Kurds. Roboski massacre and the Pozantý prison cruelty were the last incidents that made Asya decide to join the guerrilla. "I belong here", she says simply.
Baran Medya, born in Sêgirêk/Þýrnak in 1990, was born into a family and a village where village guards were the norm. His father also worked as a village guard for 20 years, while Baran always had problems with the village guards system of the Turkish state. He was always subjected to pressure for speaking Kurdish, especially by his teachers at Turkish schools. His Kurdish identity meant he was subjected to insults when he went to Istanbul after finishing the high school. He thus, also impressed by the Kurdish Freedom Movement, started to refuse being treated as a second class citizen. After his return to his village, he had the chance to make a closer observation on the policy of the village-guard system. As he continued to face further insults and pressures by state officers and Turkish soldiers in his village, he decided to join the guerrilla where he says he feels "freer because I am living with my own culture".
Cudi Rüstem from Hakkari had been working as a religion teacher and imam before he joined the guerrilla. After finishing a religious vocational high school in Konya, he started his military service at Kenan Evren Barrack in Istanbul in 2009. During his service here, he witnessed how Kurdish families were deceived after their children were killed and they were told they had committed a suicide. "I decided to join the guerrilla after seeing Kurdish mothers being beaten by police on streets, - he said - after seeing their children being left with broken arms and after the Roboski massacre".
Celal Baz, born in the village of Yazbaþý (Bulanýk/Muþ) in 1989, didn't have the chance to finish the high school. The execution of PJAK (Party for Free Life of Kurdistan) member Þirin Elemhuyi in Iran in 2010 was the major incident that greatly affected Celal who after that time started to take part in youth activities of the Kurdish legal politics. As Celal however faced continuous obstacles in doing active politics, he joined the guerrilla to protest against the consistent repression of the Turkish state.
Serbest Qaþurî was born in the village of Andaç (Uludere/Þýrnak) where almost all men work for the village guards system. Serbest, whose village is near Roboski where 34 Kurdish people were killed by Turkish warplanes on 28 December 2011, tells that he was among those who went to the scene after hearing about the massacre in the morning. "When we got there, we knew we were in great anger and we were in fear. The area - he said - was covered with snow and what was in front of our eyes was pure savagery. There were parts of those 34 people's bodies scattered around and the villagers were trying to divide the human bodies from the donkeys which had also been torn into pieces. In the evening we sent the bodies of the victims to Uludere". Serbest says that he thereafter joined the guerrilla for he refused to remain silent about the executions by the Turkish state.
There are dozens of other youths in the camp, and each one has a different story. These young people who have chosen the way of a difficult struggle know very well why they went to the mountains. They are here, ready to fight for their people's freedom. So much for the Turkish propaganda saying that "Kurds have finished and are living their weakest period".
They seem to be feeling excited. This place is full of youths trying to learn something new, keeping their eyes alert on the surrounding areas. They are trying to learn from what their comrades, who have spent years in the fiercest territory of these mountains, do.
Each one of them came form different places of Kurdistan, its cities, towns and villages. Some couldn't finish the primary school, while some others dropped out of the most prominent departments of universities, some worked as laborers or were involved in political activities. We learn that some of these young people joined the guerilla because they refused to become village guards, some fled from the brutality and violence they had suffered in the prison of Pozantý. Some others left after the Roboski massacre. Some want to be a voice against the solitary confinement of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, while others chose this way for they refused to remain silent about the ruling AKP government's war policy. A policy aimed at destroying and ignoring Kurds.
We want to have a closer look on the stories of these young people who have chosen to go to the mountains. There is a group called Axçýra, the name of the village they came from in Bitlis. Apart from these seven youths who have recently joined guerrilla ranks, many other young people have so far joined the guerrilla from this village which is known for the patriotic stance of its people. Each one of these seven youths has another relative in guerrilla ranks. They have chosen code-names for themselves: Þervan, Amara, Sipan, Agît, Eriþ and Rubar.
Guerilla Sarina came from the village of Axçayýz (Adilvaz/Bitlis). He never went to school. He has three other brothers among the guerilla ranks. One of them lost his life in clashes and two others are still fighting for the Kurdish guerilla movement. "It was my childhood dream to join the guerrilla", Sarina says, emotion in his eyes.
Young guerrilla trainee Erdevan Zaxoyi was born in the city of Zaxo in South Kurdistan in 1985. He was able to continue his school for eight years only. He was taken into custody three times by the South Kurdistan government. His most recent detention happened after he joined the Newroz celebrations. Erdevan says he joined the guerrilla to protest against the severe isolation of PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) leader Abdullah Öcalan, and underlines; "If there will be a true progress in Kurdistan, that will be owing to the PKK".
Another young guerrilla, Asya Gilidað, who was born in Iðdýr in 1992, joined the guerrilla from Ankara where she had been studying at the faculty of language history and geography of Ankara University for three years. She tells she was subjected to constant insults and pressures for being a Kurd during the years she was staying at a student dormitory of a Fethullah Gülen's school. She says she also witnessed how the people there tried to assimilate Kurdish youths. Despite the fact that she wasn't involved or interested in politics, she started to feel great anger because of pro-Fethullah circles and ther insults against Kurds. Roboski massacre and the Pozantý prison cruelty were the last incidents that made Asya decide to join the guerrilla. "I belong here", she says simply.
Baran Medya, born in Sêgirêk/Þýrnak in 1990, was born into a family and a village where village guards were the norm. His father also worked as a village guard for 20 years, while Baran always had problems with the village guards system of the Turkish state. He was always subjected to pressure for speaking Kurdish, especially by his teachers at Turkish schools. His Kurdish identity meant he was subjected to insults when he went to Istanbul after finishing the high school. He thus, also impressed by the Kurdish Freedom Movement, started to refuse being treated as a second class citizen. After his return to his village, he had the chance to make a closer observation on the policy of the village-guard system. As he continued to face further insults and pressures by state officers and Turkish soldiers in his village, he decided to join the guerrilla where he says he feels "freer because I am living with my own culture".
Cudi Rüstem from Hakkari had been working as a religion teacher and imam before he joined the guerrilla. After finishing a religious vocational high school in Konya, he started his military service at Kenan Evren Barrack in Istanbul in 2009. During his service here, he witnessed how Kurdish families were deceived after their children were killed and they were told they had committed a suicide. "I decided to join the guerrilla after seeing Kurdish mothers being beaten by police on streets, - he said - after seeing their children being left with broken arms and after the Roboski massacre".
Celal Baz, born in the village of Yazbaþý (Bulanýk/Muþ) in 1989, didn't have the chance to finish the high school. The execution of PJAK (Party for Free Life of Kurdistan) member Þirin Elemhuyi in Iran in 2010 was the major incident that greatly affected Celal who after that time started to take part in youth activities of the Kurdish legal politics. As Celal however faced continuous obstacles in doing active politics, he joined the guerrilla to protest against the consistent repression of the Turkish state.
Serbest Qaþurî was born in the village of Andaç (Uludere/Þýrnak) where almost all men work for the village guards system. Serbest, whose village is near Roboski where 34 Kurdish people were killed by Turkish warplanes on 28 December 2011, tells that he was among those who went to the scene after hearing about the massacre in the morning. "When we got there, we knew we were in great anger and we were in fear. The area - he said - was covered with snow and what was in front of our eyes was pure savagery. There were parts of those 34 people's bodies scattered around and the villagers were trying to divide the human bodies from the donkeys which had also been torn into pieces. In the evening we sent the bodies of the victims to Uludere". Serbest says that he thereafter joined the guerrilla for he refused to remain silent about the executions by the Turkish state.
There are dozens of other youths in the camp, and each one has a different story. These young people who have chosen the way of a difficult struggle know very well why they went to the mountains. They are here, ready to fight for their people's freedom. So much for the Turkish propaganda saying that "Kurds have finished and are living their weakest period".
