Peyman Viyan, co-chair of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), commemorated leading commander Feraşîn Bêrîtan, who was killed on 14 December 2023 in an attack by the Turkish state, and said they would carry forward her mission to completion.
Viyan said she pays tribute to Feraşîn Bêrîtan and all martyrs of the freedom struggle and added: “We remember, above all, our comrades from the same region who joined the Freedom Movement and sacrificed their lives. Comrade Feraşîn followed in their footsteps, joined the Freedom Movement, and fulfilled her revolutionary duties with absolute dedication until the very end.”
Her martyrdom is a profound loss for us
Viyan said, “The martyrdom of comrade Feraşîn was a profound loss for us and for the Freedom Movement in Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilat). She played a leading role in every aspect of our work, both as a revolutionary and as a cadre with strong leadership qualities. She fought everywhere with the conviction that the revolution must succeed. For that reason, her loss is a great blow to our movement. But we also know that in Eastern Kurdistan, dozens, perhaps hundreds, of young people will continue walking in her path.”
Viyan added that Feraşîn joined the Freedom Movement with clear awareness and made an immediate impact: “When we first met her, she had been part of the movement for barely three months. We had heard that a young woman from Selmas had joined, and we wanted to meet her. She was full of excitement and enthusiasm about her decision. Her spiritual strength and her ideals were powerful; her personality and her stance reflected exactly that.”
Nurtured by a culture of resistance
Viyan said that Feraşîn grew up in an environment shaped by a deep-rooted culture of resistance. Viyan said: “She always stood against external attacks and protected her culture. The place she came from was home to women who resisted both the patriarchal system and occupying forces. That culture shaped her personality and her way of struggling.”
Peyman Viyan explained that Feraşîn had conducted extensive research on the months-long resistance at Dimdim Castle against Shah Abbas. Viyan also said: “The culture of resistance in that region had a profound impact on her character. Many comrades who joined the Freedom Movement from that area, such as our comrade Aryen Arî, were inspired by the same culture. Aryen became one of our leading figures and, as a commander of the Women’s Defense Forces (HPJ), carried out major work across Eastern Kurdistan. Another example is our comrade Mûsa, who fell martyr in the defence of Kobanê; he, too, came from this region and was known for his selfless and revolutionary spirit.
Comrade Feraşîn spent years organising youth work across Eastern Kurdistan. Through the participation of comrades like her, the people of the region came to know the Apoist Movement more closely, and their patriotic spirit, rooted in Kurdish culture, grew even stronger. She wanted to keep this culture alive within the Freedom Movement and to carry the struggle in Eastern Kurdistan to all women, young people and the wider society. She often said: ‘A woman who joins the Freedom Movement from Eastern Kurdistan must develop herself through the ideas of President Öcalan and the line of women’s liberation, and she must set an example for the youth of Eastern Kurdistan.’ Driven by a constant desire to grow, she rose quickly and gained the competence of a commander.”
Feraşîn placed great importance on education and women’s freedom
Viyan emphasised that Feraşîn played a decisive role in the founding and strengthening of the HPJ, continued: “She was deeply focused on how to build a women’s army across Iran that could embody, protect and advance women’s will and presence. She developed plans and projects toward that goal. So, if today the HPJ is recognised as a powerful women’s defence force in Eastern Kurdistan, it is thanks to comrade Feraşîn.
Her character must be well understood and remembered in Eastern Kurdistan. She carried a strong sense of purpose and was relentless in her insistence on change. Her style of struggle evolved every single day. She believed that a free woman could lay the foundation for a free society anywhere, and she wanted to begin this transformation in her immediate surroundings. As a woman commander, she also wanted to challenge rigid conceptions of what a women’s army should be. She sought to bring forward women’s emotions, their spirit and their art. She spent much of her time with new recruits from Eastern Kurdistan, investing enormous effort in their development.”
Viyan also added: “She consistently sought to nurture genuine, freedom-based friendship between women and men. Her comradeship with male fighters was grounded in principles of mental transformation and ideological change. As a guerrilla, she aspired to be a model of freedom-oriented comradeship. She was a woman who valued education immensely and carried a deep confidence in herself. She had no hesitation about the struggle. She focused constantly on her own education as well as the education of those around her. This is what made her leadership so visible. Wherever she worked, her presence was unmistakable; in collective efforts, people wanted to work with her.
The war claimed the lives of dozens of martyrs. For the HPJ to grow, Feraşîn, Aryen, and Rojda Kotol, each of them HPJ commanders, worked and struggled together for years, from Maku to Shaho. The martyrdom of all three is a profound loss for Eastern Kurdistan.”
We are the party of martyrs
Viyan Peyman concluded her remarks with the following words: “We are the party of martyrs, and our struggle in Eastern Kurdistan has grown along the path shaped by their sacrifices. Along the line of Zîlan Pepûle, Şirîn Elemhûlî, Aryen and Feraşîn, the philosophy of ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ is spreading across Eastern Kurdistan. Today we wage this struggle with great strength. We have become an example and a symbol for all the peoples of Iran. In the name of comrade Feraşîn, we will work to further expand the struggle in Eastern Kurdistan and Iran. We will carry out an unparalleled effort to keep her spirit alive everywhere.
We carry a responsibility toward our martyrs. We must crown their efforts with freedom in Eastern Kurdistan. The dream of these comrades, especially comrade Feraşîn, was to see a women’s army and women’s power grow across Iran. Comrade Feraşîn fought to save Kurdish society from annihilation. The Freedom Movement has grown with every martyr. We will expand the struggle in Eastern Kurdistan on the basis of victory. Young people must take up comrade Feraşîn’s weapon and carry this struggle forward. On this foundation, we will continue to broaden and strengthen our movement.”