Halil Güneş joined the struggle for Kurdistan’s freedom in 1990 and was captured in 1993. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the State Security Court (DGM) at that time. Despite being a cancer patient and listed among seriously ill prisoners by the Human Rights Association (IHD), he was denied release and was repeatedly transferred from one prison to another. In 2014, Diyarbakır (Amed) Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital issued a report stating that Güneş was unfit to remain in prison. However, the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) contradicted this, declaring that he was fit to remain in prison. Just one year before his scheduled release, Halil Güneş passed away on 15 December 2021, in the solitary confinement of Diyarbakır No. 2 High-Security Prison. Throughout his 29 years of imprisonment, Halil Güneş never surrendered to the enemy, never let others see his suffering, and always faced life with a smile, resisting until his last breath.

His fellow inmates spoke to ANF about their memories of him.

Mahsum Koyun said that Halil Güneş’s 29-year imprisonment was harsh and painful due to his illness and added: "He suffered from liver and bone cancer. Yet, he showed great resilience against these illnesses and made it his principle to engage with life on the right basis. He never used his illnesses as an excuse and never distanced himself from ideological, political, or organizational work. Because of this, he became an example to many comrades in prison. He carried the spirit of the Kurdistan National Liberation Army (ARGK) and had a great capacity for resistance. From the 1990s until today, he had an immense influence on comrades in prison. He was a figure of strong representation, a revolutionary who educated himself well. He was a follower, a laborer, and a fighter of Öcalan’s movement. In this sense, he was a deeply committed comrade. He never stopped writing and drawing. I had the opportunity to stay with him for a period in Diyarbakır Prison. Being in the same prison as Heval Halil was a privilege for me; he contributed greatly to us. During the process of transformation and change, he worked to help us understand the new paradigm correctly and played an ideological leadership role in the movement within the prisons."

He devoted himself to us

Koyun said that they are committed to preserving Halil Güneş’s legacy and continuing his struggle, saying: "He had a profound impact on us. In every effort, his teachings guided us in terms of method and approach, and they continue to resonate in our minds. The influence he had on us pushes us to organize our daily lives in a structured way. To be worthy of martyrs like Heval Halil, we must strive constantly. We do strive, but it is never enough, because our fallen comrades have invested so much in us. In a way, we are fighting to honor their labor and sacrifices. We push ourselves to serve even more, guided by the values they instilled in us. To be honest, we learned to walk this path thanks to Halil Güneş and our other martyred comrades. Heval Halil was deeply loved in prison. Everyone wanted to participate in his educational sessions. That was the kind of influence he had on people. He also had an impact on the enemy—both fear and respect. He was a person whom even the prison guards approached with a certain reverence. He earned that respect through his stance and character. He used to say, ‘The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is a place where discipline and respect are deeply upheld,’ and he embodied this principle in his own practice. He carried dreams of freedom, hopes, and expectations. He longed to return to the streets of Diyarbakır and the mountains of Kurdistan. But his heart could only endure so much."

His spirit of resistance gave us strength

Akın Birdal said that Halil Güneş’s spirit of resistance empowered them, stating: "Sometimes, we do not know where our paths will cross with good people, perhaps on 1 May, on 1 September, at a Newroz celebration, or during street demonstrations. My path crossed with Halil Güneş in prison. He was our ward representative and always managed to be everywhere at once. At 32 years old, he was the eldest of six children from an Arab family in Adana. He completed primary, middle, and high school with top honors. In his final year of university, he joined the movement. Whether in the mountains, the plains, or in prison, he always made his presence known. He was an avid reader and writer at every opportunity. He was a poet, a dedicated fighter on a difficult journey, and in the end, he fell ill. Like other sick prisoners, his treatment was neglected, and his condition worsened. On December 15, 2021, after 29 years of imprisonment and just one year before his scheduled release, he lost his life in solitary confinement in Diyarbakır. Knowing Halil was a great privilege, but losing him was an equally profound sorrow. We visited his family in Adana. His mother and siblings had spent years longing for his return."