MAMIBAN ZIDAN HALBIN

Van – The families of those who lost their lives within the ranks of the freedom movement pledge to preserve what they consider a legacy left by their children and relatives, confirming the continuation of the path they walked, and the call for freedom and peace.

During the past weeks, the relatives of 65 people registered in the records of Van in northern Kurdistan, whose names were announced, renewed their messages during the mourning councils held for them, confirming their commitment to the messages of freedom and peace and the continuation of the struggle for them.

Among them is Sakine Dormush (Nujin Bawer), who lost her life in 2016 in the Cizre district of Şırnak in northern Kurdistan. For years, her family lived without knowing where she was or what had become of her. Throughout those years, only one piece of news reached them, which was at the same time the first and the last news: the news of her death.

They Refused a Life Without Dignity and Chose the Path of Migration

Sakine Dormush was the eighth daughter among ten children. When she was still a child, her family refused to accept the imposition of the village guard system, so they were forced to leave their homeland. The family first moved to Van, then to Balıkesir, before returning again to Van in 2011.

Sakine Dormush grew up in a patriotic family, and in Van she began to engage in youth activities, forming her own world among friends, collective work, and events related to society.

When the family returned to the lands of Kurdistan, Sakine Dormush was nineteen. In 2011, she made her decision to join the movement. She left a letter under her pillow.

The Family Knew Nothing About Her After That

Five years later, in 2016, the news of her death in Cizre reached them. She was then twenty-four years old. Her mother recalls the image of her daughter as she knew her: "She saw the neighbors and friends all as brothers and sisters to her, and considered them part of the family. She was loving toward people and spent long time with her friends. She was a beautiful and very kind child. She was the same wherever she was: in the village, in Van, and in Balıkesir. She started school in Van because the village had no school."

"She Was Courageous and Always Moving Forward"

Dormiye Dormush remembers her daughter as she participated in youth activities, and says: "Sakine used to participate in youth work, and was part of the youth music band. She met her friends constantly. On the occasion of Newroz, she used to make decorations from threads in the colors green, yellow, and red. I still keep them until today."

She added: "She did not retreat from anything. She was always moving forward. She was very courageous." But the mother did not know that her daughter had decided to leave until after she had already gone.

She says that the letter she left under her pillow was the means that revealed to her her daughter's decision to join the struggle for freedom. "I woke up in the morning and went to work. I waited for her in the evening, but she did not return. When she left, she had finished secondary school and was nineteen years old. The last time I saw her, she did not say anything to me. She was as usual, happy. She was always like that, and I never saw her frowning once."

She continued: "She did not ask me for forgiveness. When she did not return in the evening, I went to her bed. I found a paper under her pillow, just as she left at home a sum of money that represented the last installment for the washing machine the family had bought. After she left, no news reached us from her, and we did not see her anywhere. In the end, this year the news of her death reached us."

"I Lost Her Without Knowing What Happened or How It Happened"

The news of Sakine Dormush's death was a painful shock to her family, after long years of waiting and the absence of answers. "Condolences to the leadership and her comrades. She went, and I was not able to see her. I lost her without knowing what happened, or how it happened. She walked a sacred and honorable path. It is the path of dignity. Condolences to the leadership, to her comrades, and to the honorable Kurdish people."

Despite the pain of loss, the mother concludes her interview by emphasizing her desire for peace: "We trust the leadership. A new path has been opened. We also want peace and brotherhood. I no longer want anyone's blood to be spilled."