Guerrillas from the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) and the Free Women’s Units (YJA Star) spoke to ANF on the 33rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Comrade Bêrîtan (Gülnaz Karataş), one of the pioneering commanders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
YJA Star guerrilla Rûgeş Afrin said: “First, I commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution in the person of Comrade Bêrîtan and bow with respect before their memories. Comrade Bêrîtan represented the line of the free woman. She fought against the mentality of male domination, backwardness, and feudal thinking, and she became the symbol of a historic stance. Martyr Bêrîtan fought and won; she proved that women, too, can fight. Through Bêrîtan’s line, women organized as an army, and today we continue our struggle and resistance in these mountains by following her measures. Comrade Bêrîtan also defined the measure of beauty in struggle, showing that ‘a woman who fights becomes beautiful and loved.’ For this reason, we will base ourselves on the line of freedom created by Martyr Bêrîtan and follow in her footsteps until the end.”
YJA Star guerrilla Arjîn Farqîn said: “Martyr Bêrîtan became a guide for us women, and today we continue to walk along her path. Comrade Bêrîtan showed that women can organize and fight through their own free will, and that this struggle also makes women beautiful. With her stance, Bêrîtan shattered the reactionary mentalities directed against women. As YJA Star, we not only protect women but also ensure that they do not live under male domination. All women must unite and form their own unity. A woman can protect herself only by achieving her freedom. The only path to a woman’s liberation is to walk the line of freedom, just as Bêrîtan did.”
YJA Star guerrilla Dunya Ronahî said: “October is a very meaningful month for us, because many revolutionary women attained martyrdom in this month. One of the commanders who fell in October, Comrade Bêrîtan, set the line of freedom for us. Through her, the line of women’s leadership emerged for all women. As a Yazidi woman, I witnessed this struggle with my own eyes. The Yazidi community, especially Yazidi women, were once made into slaves, sold in markets, and had their honor trampled upon because they could not defend themselves. But today, we have found our identity through Bêrîtan’s line and have taken our place in this struggle. Through the legacy of resistance left by Comrade Bêrîtan, we learned how to defend ourselves. Bêrîtan’s action inspired not only women but even the peshmerga who fought against her; they laid down their arms. Parts of Bêrîtan’s weapon are still kept in those homes. Many families have named their children after her. Bêrîtan has become the symbol of freedom in Kurdistan. This is my call to all Yazidi women: let us follow in Comrade Bêrîtan’s footsteps, because the path to women’s liberation lies in Bêrîtan’s line of freedom.”
Comrade Bêrîtan became the symbol of resistance against the line of slavery
HPG guerrilla Derwêş Kazîwa said: “In Kurdistan and the Middle East, the emergence of President Öcalan rekindled hope among oppressed peoples living under captivity. The hegemonic powers saw this as a threat to their own interests. Once again, they sought to attack the values of humanity through submissive and treacherous Kurds. In the same way, in 1992, these collaborative Kurdish forces attacked the Freedom Movement in the Xakurke region. Their goal was to break the will of the Freedom Movement through the targeting of women. Comrade Bêrîtan demonstrated that the Apoist Movement, the Freedom Movement, could never be defeated, neither by regional powers nor by any force whatsoever. Comrade Bêrîtan became the symbol of resistance against betrayal and the line of slavery; she broke that line. By walking in Bêrîtan’s path, Kurdish women have revealed their free will. As freedom guerrillas, we pledge to recreate ourselves along the line of Martyr Bêrîtan and the women guerrillas who follow her path, and we will never turn away from their struggle.”
HPG guerrilla Mîlîtan Metîn said: “Comrade Bêrîtan never accepted betrayal; her spirit of resistance continues to this day. Bêrîtan illuminated the line of freedom, opened our path, and today we follow in her footsteps. Martyr Bêrîtan, with a spirit of self-sacrifice and inspired by the thoughts of President Öcalan, threw herself off a cliff to avoid falling into enemy hands. After her act of self-sacrifice, many women who joined our movement took Bêrîtan’s name. Most recently, comrades Rojger and Asya followed in her footsteps and carried out similar self-sacrificial actions. Today, women are leading society, taking to the streets, and the recent developments have once again revealed the leading role of women. These women are walking in the path of Comrade Bêrîtan. For this reason, Kurdish women today are known worldwide for their struggle, and we, too, will follow the path of Martyr Bêrîtan until the very end.”
HPG guerrilla Erdal Herekol said: “Comrade Bêrîtan was from Dersim. The struggle embodied in the figures of Besê and Zarîfe grew and was revived in the person of Bêrîtan. Her stance became a symbol of resistance against surrender. Especially within our movement, Bêrîtan became the symbol of persistence in the pursuit of freedom. The saying ‘Those who fight become free; those who become free become beautiful’ found its true meaning through Comrade Bêrîtan. When President Öcalan remembered her, he said, ‘She developed women’s militarization.’ The women’s army became a beacon of hope not only for Bêrîtan but for all oppressed women. Women living under male domination and men who wish to build a free and equal life alongside women must follow in the footsteps of Martyr Bêrîtan.”
We will follow our commander Bêrîtan to the end
HPG guerrilla Bawer Kobanê said: “I respectfully commemorate Comrade Bêrîtan and all revolutionary martyrs on the anniversary of her martyrdom. Comrade Bêrîtan resisted the line of slavery, and we base our struggle on that resistance. Betrayal is like a cancer; it has always been present in Kurdish history. Comrade Bêrîtan fought the line of betrayal to her last round and, in the end, destroyed her weapon so it would not fall into enemy hands. By carrying out a self-sacrificing action, she became immortal. Our commander is Martyr Bêrîtan, and we will follow her path to the end.”
YJA Star guerrilla Gulçîn Hîwa said: “October holds a special meaning for the women’s struggle. Many pioneering women, especially Comrade Bêrîtan, attained martyrdom in this month. We are their successors. Today, as women, we must embrace our identity even more strongly and intensify our struggle for the physical freedom of President Öcalan. This path of freedom was opened for us by President Öcalan, and with the spirit of Comrade Bêrîtan, we will carry the struggle from the mountains to the public squares, expanding our fight for a free country, a free identity, and a free life.”
YJA Star guerrilla Vînda Şaho said: “Comrade Bêrîtan is our great commander, and following her martyrdom, the decision to form a women’s army was made. We are the fighters of Martyr Bêrîtan, and her resistance is fundamental for us. Today, we continue to witness femicides, such as the murder of Narin Güran. These are all attacks against women. Women must now say ‘enough’ and strengthen their struggle to transform the male-dominated mentality. The only way to do this is through organization. Every woman should study President Öcalan’s ideas, develop herself, and organize. Finally, I want to say this: women must embrace President Öcalan’s thoughts, walk in Bêrîtan’s path, and achieve their freedom.”
YJA Star guerrilla Azê Kurdistan said: “Comrade Bêrîtan carried out a multifaceted struggle in the Xakurke region. She played a significant role both in life and in battle. If there is a women’s army today and if women can fight in these mountains, it is thanks to the efforts of both President Öcalan and the martyrs. Through Comrade Bêrîtan, the power of women became visible. If we fight with Bêrîtan’s spirit and walk along her line, we can lead this process to success. Women must hold tightly to the struggle and unite around President Öcalan. If we can achieve this, women will not only live freely in Kurdistan but everywhere in the world.”