Light is the image of truth. It is the essence of life. Light is hope, it is freedom, and it is the name of rebirth. Light is vision, perspective, and meaning. It reflects oneself and others; it reveals both difference and resemblance. The sun’s rays have lit up the mountaintops of our land, and the moonlight has brightened our nights, for fifty years. Now, two more of these eternal lights have said farewell and set out on their journey into eternity. To forget them is to forget oneself. To ignore them is to be lost in emptiness. Because they mean sometingh. Because they are depth. Because they are vengeance. Because they are love.

They are the Mountain Lights who illuminate our homeland. They are the warriors who defended women, the prophets who brought joy to children’s faces, and the loyal successors who never let the departed look back in sorrow. Words fall short. Language cannot reach. The heart grows heavy. But this is how they lived, through sacrifice, with courage, in resistance, and with love.

In a recent statement, the People's Defense Forces (HPG) announced the identities of two heartful warriors.

These two comrades, who fought in the frontlines during the darkest moments of war, when brutality showed its most shameless face, embraced all hardships with devotion and supported one another with unwavering solidarity. To know these Mountain Lights is to lay claim to our history, our dignity, and ourselves.

Özgür Erdal (Hamide Hemo) was from the city of Serêkaniyê, located in the southwest of our homeland and divided by a border line. Serêkaniyê, one of the most patriotic regions of Rojava, has held a special place in the Kurdish liberation struggle since 1979, the year President Öcalan first set foot there. From that point onward, President Öcalan’s revolutionary efforts deepened the city’s patriotism. Born into a family where the most profound and sincere measures of patriotism prevailed, Özgür’s character was shaped by these noble values. From a very young age, she internalized the foundational principle of the women’s liberation ideology. In the years to come, she would become one of the fiercest representatives of all five principles of this ideology.

She stood on the frontlines against ISIS mercenaries

Özgür's bond with the revolutionary cause, especially the women's freedom struggle, grew stronger with time. She embraced President Öcalan’s paradigm as the path closest to her own and shaped her youth with its principles. She was never a young woman lost in the turmoil of the system or one who surrendered to patriarchal thinking. She fully embraced her being and protected her free spirit with the strength born of the Apoist philosophy. When ISIS mercenaries, the greatest enemies of humanity and women, launched their attacks on Rojava, Özgür, still very young, stepped into the battle trenches with a heart full of courage. For over three years, she fought in Rojava, growing stronger and more radiant through each moment. She played a vital role in the making of the Rojava revolution. Even after being wounded in battle, she rose again swiftly, thinking not of herself but of her responsibilities, with a sacred devotion that resembled a goddess.

Through the years she spent fighting in Rojava, she gained profound experience and underwent deep personal transformation. After witnessing the revolution's success, she turned her direction to the mountains of Kurdistan. In 2015, she joined the guerrilla ranks and chose to continue her journey as a fighter in the Free Women’s Units (YJA Star). Her struggle evolved, and she soon found inspiration in Zîlan, one of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s self-sacrificing militants and pursued this ideal by joining the Special Forces. In the Special Forces, she developed her talents, organized her skills, and deepened her understanding of the Apoist philosophy. She became a woman warrior stepping closer to the divine. She mastered the battle for new life and, with immense confidence, moved to the most intense war zones. Özgür became one of the creators of the legendary resistance that has endured for four years in Western Zap. She lived true to her beliefs and fought for them with unwavering commitment. This Mountain Light, who never yielded to a single attack, set out on her eternal journey on 21 January 2025.

She carried her struggle forward, one step at a time

Besê Devran Çiya (Mensure Akpolat) was from the Serhat region in Northern Kurdistan (Bakur). She came to know life within a community in Muş, where warm-hearted people lived amid a cold climate. Her family’s strong commitment to national traditions and homeland gave rise to a deep-rooted and meaningful character. Alongside her patriotic feelings, she intensely experienced the sense of searching in a system where life had been tied into a dead knot. Her greatest revolt was against the objectification of women in society. She deeply felt the pain of women trapped between feudal traditions and systemic oppression and took a determined stand, refusing to surrender and insisting on being part of the solution. Her emotional and ideological growth around both national and gender-based liberation led her to encounter the Apoist philosophy. While studying at university in Van (Wan), she joined the ranks of the revolutionary youth, and with this step, she made clear the direction her life would take.

Through her involvement in youth work, Besê had the opportunity to read and understand President Öcalan. From that point on, she pledged herself to a revolutionary life she would never abandon. She saw the youth movement as too narrow for her commitment, and when ISIS mercenaries launched their assault on Kobanê, she made the decision to fully dedicate herself to the revolution. In 2015, she joined the guerrilla ranks. With a spirit as free and joyful as a bird soaring toward liberation, Besê quickly equipped herself with the qualities of a militant woman shaped by Apoist measures. Her love for a free life gave her the strength to reach even the highest mountains. Her willpower and awareness of freedom grew stronger every day, and she carried her struggle one step further with every passing moment. Seeking to crown her struggle with self-sacrificing devotion, Besê requested to join the Special Forces.

Besê was also a close relative of Martyr Dewran (Serhat Akpolat), who carried out a self-sacrificing action in 2016 in Gever (Yüksekova), and she was determined to be a loyal successor to his path. Within the Special Forces, she internalized the characteristics of a professional guerrilla and quickly became one of the era’s most experienced and pioneering fighters. Driven by her relentless insistence, she was transferred to Western Zap, where uninterrupted resistance has continued for four years. There, she fought heroically. Not for a single moment did this brave woman hesitate in battle. Together with her comrade Özgür Erdal, equally noble in spirit and radiant in heart, she resisted until her final breath and fell as a martyr on 21 January 2025. These two Mountain Lights, whose brilliance was drawn from the Sun, are beacons and flames of guidance especially for us Kurdish women. To remember them is to remember our honor.