Australian YPG fighter Ashley Kent Johnston, who was martyred in Rojava, just four days before the liberation of Til Hemis, was commemorated at his grave on the tenth anniversary of his death.
YPG fighter Ashley Kent Johnston (Heval Bagok), who was martyred in Rojava on February 23, 2015, was commemorated at his grave near Australia's capital, Canberra.
The commemoration, organized by the Sydney Democratic Kurdish Community Center (DKTM), started with a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs.
Baran Söğüt, speaking on behalf of DKTM (Democratic Kurdish Community Center), said, “As you know, Ashley Johnston was one of the dozens of internationalist fighters who went to Rojava to fight against ISIS barbarism in order to protect the human values represented by the Kurds and were martyred for this cause. Comrade Bagok is now also a son of the Kurdish people. We will always keep him and his struggle alive in memory.”
Timur Tatvan, Co-Chair of DKTM, said, “We commemorate Ashley Johnston, a martyr of the Rojava Revolution, on every anniversary of his death. This year is more special because we built a beautiful mausoleum for his memory. We wish we could do the same for all our martyrs who fell in the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle, but, unfortunately, thousands of our martyrs do not even have a tombstone. Ashley is our third martyr from Australia. We commemorate these great martyrs who became a bridge between Kurdistan and Australia with respect, and we promise to always keep them alive in our struggle.”
Background
Ashley Johnston, whose nom de guerre was Bagok Serhed, was born on April 15, 1986, in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. The son of Amanda and Bery Johnston was a postal worker and a reserve officer in the Australian Army. He served as a rifleman and combat medic in the Australian Army Reserve, where he spent seven years. This military experience helped him in his struggle. When the worldwide terror attacks by ISIS and its brutal oppression of the Syrian people shocked many people and angered him, he decided to go to Syria to support the People's Defence Units (YPG) against ISIS atrocities.
Johnston went to the Rojava Revolution Area with the Lions of Rojava, the first internationalist group of fighters to come to Rojava in 2014. After his arrival in Rojava, he immediately joined the YPG (People’s Defense Units). He participated in the liberation campaign launched in Til Hemis on February 21, 2015, and was martyred 2 days later, on February 23, 2015, in Xesan village of Til Hemis. His body was delivered back to his country and buried in Canberra, the capital of Australia, on April 8, 2015.
After learning of his son’s martyrdom, Bagok Serhed's mother, Amanda, wanted to get to know the revolutionary struggle of the Kurds better. In solidarity not only with her son but also with everyone fighting for freedom, she said that “I am a Kurd, too”. Amanda said knowing that her son was not forgotten by the Kurds was part of her recovery process: “I look at his photos and ... you can see his eyes shining, and his face smiling.”
