Hacer Xelîl Yusuf said that after three years as a guerrilla and 30 years in prison, it was very difficult for her to accept the reality of Afrin’s (Efrîn) occupation when she returned to Rojava. She said: “I still feel breathless. We will take the revenge of the prison through an honorable return to Afrin.”
Hacer Xelîl Yusuf was born in 1970 in Afrin, Rojava. She learned about the Kurdish Freedom Movement at a young age through Apoist cadres who visited her patriotic family. At the age of 14 or 15, she joined the movement’s activities and later became a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). In 1992, she attended the Mahsum Korkmaz Academy in Beqaa. After the academy closed, she decided to return to Kurdistan and went to Heftanin. When the fighting began there, she moved to the Botan region and stayed for about three years in the Omeriya area. In October 1995, she was captured in the Idil (Hezex) district of Şırnak (Şirnex) following a tip-off.
Yusuf was subjected to one month of torture
Hacer Xelîl Yusuf spoke to ANF and recalled that throughout the history of Kurdistan, there has always been a line of resistance and a line of betrayal. Yusuf described her experience after being captured and said: “I was tortured for a month while in custody. When they asked me, ‘How did you cross these mined borders?’ I replied with full conviction, ‘When a person truly wants to, they will always find a way, above or below the ground.’ After that answer, they broke my teeth. In that moment, I asked myself what this violence truly meant. Later, in prison, I became conscious of its meaning. My response at that time meant, ‘Your borders hold no meaning for us.’”
How can a revolutionary live in prison?
Yusuf said: “The guerrilla resistance carried out in the mountains was also continued inside the prisons. When I first entered prison, I asked myself, ‘How can a revolutionary live in prison?’ A revolutionary could never accept captivity. But over time, we learned what it means to stand tall in prison to give meaning to life, to be worthy of the efforts of Abdullah Öcalan and the sacrifices of the martyrs.”
Yusuf continued: “The most important thing was to learn how to stand on our own feet. Giving meaning to life, remembering the efforts of Öcalan, understanding how the Kurdish Freedom Movement must become permanent, and thinking about how to uphold the legacy of the prison resistance, these were always our guiding principles. We constantly reminded ourselves to live in accordance with the values that had been created.”
Thirty years of repeated exile
Yusuf added: “After being captured, I was taken to the prison in Diyarbakır (Amed) and stayed there for two years. In July 1997, I was transferred to the prison in Midyat, where I remained for 14 years. During the hunger strike in 2012, on 21 December, I was deported to Gebze along with ten other women, and I stayed there for eight years. In 2021, I was transferred again, this time to Kayseri Prison, and after about four and a half years, I was released. After my release, I was held for four days in a camp for foreigners. On the fifth day, I was released near the Syrian border, and after being welcomed by my family, I crossed into Rojava.”
Pain can be transformed into an organized force
Yusuf said that during her time in prison, they witnessed many turning points, from the beginning of the international conspiracy against Öcalan on 9 October 1999 to his capture on 15 February, and the wave of resistance symbolized by the “You cannot darken our sun (Abdullah Öcalan)” actions. Yusuf said: “With belief in the struggle, a person can transform their pain into an organized force. To give meaning to life behind prison walls is itself an act of resistance. To understand the resistance of Mazlum, Kemal, Hayri, the ‘Night of the Four,’ and Sakine Cansız, the pioneer of women’s struggle at the founding of our party, is to live entirely with them. Yes, you are in prison, but your heart and soul can be wherever you want them to be. Struggle is a fluid form of life. One must first love, then give meaning, and after giving meaning, fight for it with all their strength.”
Thirty-three years away felt like a film reel passing before my eyes
Yusuf witnessed, for the first time, the revolution led by women in the land to which she returned after 30 years of imprisonment. She said: “When I was on my way to Rojava, during my journey through Aleppo, the 33 years I had spent away from my homeland passed before my eyes like a film reel. The Rojava Revolution was a place of joy and dignity for me, but at the same time, it was deeply emotional. For example, when I first arrived, I looked around from the vehicle; it felt as if the trees, the soil, the stones, the ruined houses, and the people were all telling me something about the revolution. Seeing the photos of Öcalan on my own soil evoked a special feeling. As I passed by the martyrs’ memorials, I bowed my head in respect, because all these values were achieved through labor and the blood of martyrs.”
Yusuf added: “I want to express my gratitude to everyone who contributed to this struggle. For the sake of the life and conditions they created, we will continue to fight every moment for a democratic Syria, a free Kurdistan, and for all peoples living on this sacred land. This feeling of struggle is a sacred emotion; I still feel that excitement today. These emotions may be hard to describe, but embracing this historical process carries a profound sense of responsibility.”
The Turkish occupation of Afrin was a great pain
Yusuf said it is very difficult for her to come to terms with the reality of Afrin’s occupation and recalled that Afrin has always been a region of resistance, organization, and strong values.
She said: “Talking about the reality of Afrin’s occupation is very hard; I still feel breathless. It should never have happened; sometimes small shortcomings cause great losses. As a woman from Afrin, my self-criticism toward the people of Afrin will be an honorable return. The same applies to the occupied cities of Ras al-Ayn (Serêkaniyê), Tal Abyad (Girê Spî), and Jarabulus (Cerablus). These lands are our lands, the lands of the Syrian and Rojava peoples. All communities living here are the rightful owners of this country.”
The revenge of the prison will be a return to Afrin
Yusuf said they will continue their struggle on the basis of the Peace and Democratic Society process initiated by Öcalan, and added: “With the initiative launched by Abdullah Öcalan, we must fulfill our responsibilities for a lasting peace for all of Kurdistan and the Middle East and be ready for everything. We want to live freely with Öcalan. We will take the revenge of the prison by organizing ourselves, by understanding the philosophy of free life, by bringing the brotherhood and coexistence of peoples to victory, and by making an honorable return to Afrin. Living with dignity in our own country is sacred.”
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