HPG guerrilla Rohat Rover (Azad Akıncı) was martyred in an airstrike targeting the Medya Defense Zones on 10 September 2024. He was born in 1989 in Rover, a rural neighborhood of Dargeçit (Kerboran) district of Mardin (Mêrdîn). In 1992, after their village was burned, Rohat and his family migrated to Batman (Êlih). Growing up in a family of nine children, he was deeply influenced by the struggle of his father, Nazım Akıncı. Despite the state’s pressure in Mardin and Batman, his father never backed down, instilling the spirit of resistance in his children. Rohat Rover grew up with this awareness and joined the struggle.
In 2005, he took part in the PKK’s youth activities, working across many cities in Kurdistan. In 2008 he was arrested, and after being released, he continued his activism. In 2009, he was arrested again, spending 10 months in prison before release. Later, he turned his path to the free mountains. On September 10, 2024, he was martyred in a Turkish state airstrike against the Medya Defense Zones. His sister, Makbule Akıncı (40), spoke about his struggle.
Makbule said her brother fought for the freedom of the Kurdish people until his last breath. Explaining that their father named him Azad because of his passion for freedom, she said: “He lived up to his name. He resisted greatly for the Kurdish people’s struggle for freedom. When we were children, we were forced to migrate from our village. Our house was constantly raided. My father was tortured. We were constantly subjected to insults, just because we were Kurds. They wanted to scare the Kurds. We were never afraid and never bowed down. My father suffered a lot of torture but never took a step back. As his children, we followed his path. Azad was sweet and sympathetic. Everyone around him loved him. He always wanted to do something for his people.”
I got my awareness as a woman thanks to him
Makbule explained that Azad developed himself in terms of women’s consciousness: “We are nine siblings, me and eight brothers. One day there was a protest in the neighborhood; Azad said, ‘Come on, let’s go together.’ I said, ‘I’m the only girl in the house, I have housework, I can’t come.’ Azad replied, ‘There’s no difference between us, we’ll go to the protest together, and we’ll also do the housework together.’ After that, we would attend protests together and share the housework. He was my guide in women’s awareness.”
Makbule also shared a memory from Newroz: “We went to Newroz early in the morning. When we returned in the evening, he told us, ‘Lucky you.’ When we asked why, he said, ‘Throughout Newroz, 60 of us children were held in custody.’ Azad was upset because of being detained. The next Newroz we went together again. This time, he didn’t come home after; he joined a march, spreading Newroz from the square into the streets. When he returned in the evening, he was very happy.”
Let’s achieve an honorable peace for our martyrs
Makbule continued: “We were more than brother and sister; we were comrades. We would go to protests together and do the housework together. He never left me alone. He shared everything with me. He had a dream of a free society. A peace process was initiated. The peace process reached through the sacrifices of the Kurdish people must be preserved. To protect the process is to protect the values. Let us gift them an honorable peace. In this process, the state urgently needs to take steps. Let us gift a free society to Azad and his comrades.”