Henan was held for four months in El Ektan Prison, where she was at times subjected to physical torture. The interrogations were conducted by different groups, and their objective was clear: to intimidate her and force a confession. She described the experience in the following words: “They kept asking, ‘Why did you join the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ)? Why are you fighting?’ They believed it was wrong for us to fight at such a young age. There were two other YPJ fighters with me. One of my comrades was wounded. In total, we were six women. There were no children.
After falling into the hands of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), I never thought I would be rescued. They kept telling us, ‘You will never get out of here.’ I told myself, ‘At most, they will kill me or I will remain here for the rest of my life.’ I was unable to sleep for days. In the final week, the prison authorities told us, ‘You will be released on Saturday.’”
Henan said: “They constantly imposed pressure on me. They said, ‘You have political experience; we will send you to Ahmed al-Sharaa.’ At times, they mocked me. But I always responded, ‘I will never betray my comrades.’ I did not answer any of their questions.
They kept saying, ‘We have taken all of Rojava.’ They claimed that they had entered Hasakah (Hesekê). I became anxious and wondered, ‘Has everywhere fallen?’ Later, I realized that this was not true.”
Henan described the moment she learned of her release as follows: “I could not sleep for a week. I was so happy. After four months, I was leaving prison. I would see my comrades and my family. It was an indescribable feeling.”
Henan also said: “I had no knowledge of any agreement while I was in prison. I was only told, ‘An amnesty has been declared in Syria, and it covers everyone.’ I kept telling myself, ‘I will never get out of here,’ yet I never completely lost hope. I thought about the women comrades with whom I had shared the war. I remained standing thanks to their moral strength.
HTS groups took us out at 5 a.m. on Saturday. As we traveled from Raqqa (Reqa) to Hasakah (Hesekê), I kept saying, ‘I am a free person now.’ I felt as if I had been reborn. When I removed the black scarf from my head, I said, ‘I have regained my freedom.’ I never imagined that I would see my family. I experienced very intense emotions.
I thought they would either kill me or hand me over to groups affiliated with the Turkish state. When I saw my family, I was in shock. Crying, dancing the halay (a traditional Kurdish group dance) feeling joy and sadness… all were intertwined. Many of my comrades are still imprisoned, and I want them to be released as well. I want our people to return to Afrin and Serêkaniyê. I am a Kurdish woman and a fighter. I want freedom for my people.”
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