With a cultural and commemorative festival entitled “Hevrîn for Peace,” the Future Syria Party commemorated the sixth anniversary of the death of its former chairwoman, Hevrîn Xelef, in Raqqa on Sunday. The event was attended by representatives of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and civil society, political, and feminist organizations.
The festival began with a minute’s silence for those who had fallen in northern and eastern Syria. In a subsequent welcome speech, Hevrîn Xelef was honored as a “symbol of the struggle for peace, equality, and a democratic Syria.”
Several speeches were given during the course of the festival, including by Suad Mustafa, the mother of Hevrîn Xelef, the co-chair of the Future Syria Party Kawthar Doko, Layla Qaraman from the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD), and representatives of the SDF, the Syrian Women’s Council, and the Council of Families of Martyrs.
In her speech, Kawthar Doko emphasized that Xelef’s commitment to a pluralistic and peaceful Syrian state continues to guide the party’s work. “She believed in a Syria for all—free from extremism, sexism, and ethnic division,” said Doko.
‘Our goal is to secure freedom’
Rohilat Efrîn, a member of the SDF General Command and one of the YPJ commanders, also spoke at the festival and said, “We have taken on the responsibility of protecting all civil and military institutions and the people in North and East Syria. Our goal is to secure freedom. We have reached this point thanks to the sacrifices of the fighters, especially the struggle of martyr Hevrîn Xelef.”
‘She chose the path of struggle for her people’
The mother of Hevrîn Xelef, Sûad Mistefa, also expressed her pride in her daughter, stating, “The SDF will build Syria. We will not allow Hevrîn’s blood to have been shed in vain. We will not be as Turkey wants us to be: one flag, one identity, one language, one culture. We want a democratic Syria that embraces all its components.”
Sûad Mistefa stated that her daughter wanted to learn, teach others, and benefit her people, and therefore chose the path of struggle for her people.
Peace prize and poetry at the conclusion
As part of the festival, the party awarded the newly created “Hevrîn Xelef Peace Prize” to the Kurdish religious scholar Sheikh Murshid Mashuq El Xeznewî, who has rendered outstanding services to reconciliation and the establishment of peaceful structures in the region.
‘We will not bargain over the lives of our people’
Sheikh Murşid Maşuq El Xeznewî sent an audio message to the festival. He stressed that the struggle is not over and continues with determination.
El Xeznewî said, “The spirit of martyr Hevrîn Xelef has become a symbol of peace. The blood of the martyrs will not be shed in vain. The resistance will continue until the day of freedom dawns in a free and democratic Syria.”
El Xeznewi stated that the family of martyr Hevrîn is part of this struggle and concluded, “We will abide by the rules. We will not bargain over the lives of our people. We will resist until we achieve peace for Hevrîn’s soul, victory for our revolution, and our future.”
At the end, poet Thamer al-Shammari recited two poems; one in honor of Hevrîn Xelef, the other a poetic plea for a “flourishing, diverse Syria despite all challenges.”
Beacon of hope for a diverse, democratic Syria
Hevrîn Xelef was the first secretary-general of the Future Syria Party. On October 12, 2019, a few days after the start of the Turkish invasion of Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî, she was attacked and executed on a highway near Qamishlo by a commando unit of the jihadist militia “Ahrar al-Shariya.” The mercenaries abused Xelef and mutilated her body before shooting her. Human rights organizations, including the United Nations, spoke of a targeted execution.
According to the autopsy report, the body of the then 34-year-old woman showed gunshot wounds and fractures to her legs, face, and skull, among other injuries. Her scalp was partially detached because she had been dragged by her hair. In addition to Xelef, seven other civilians were murdered in the attack, including her driver. The militia leader responsible for the murders, Ahmad Ihsan Fayyad Al-Hayes, alias “Abu Hatem Shaqra,” is now commander of the 86th Division of the so-called army of the self-proclaimed Syrian transitional government under HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.