The KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-Presidency paid tribute to Ismail Ağaç who passed away recently.
The statement said: “Our dear Uncle İsmail, our Brother İsmail, our Comrade İsmail—a cherished patriot and one of the cornerstones of our struggle—a 90-year-old pillar of the struggle, has passed away. We extend our deepest condolences to his entire family, neighbors, friends, and all the people of Kurdistan.
Ismail Ağaç was a patriotic militant in the people’s struggle and the freedom struggle in Hilvan, where the strong foundations of our struggle were laid. Coming from a very poor background, Ismail Ağaç had a personality that refused to bow to the oppression of the large landowners and lords, and rose up in rebellion. He was a volcano of rage against feudalism and oppression. He was among the first patriots to stand by the Apoist movement and its struggle against state-backed feudal oppression by the large landowners and lords in Hilvan. He opened his home for the Apoist movement and considered its members as parts of his family. His home became a sort of headquarters for the fighters of the Apoist movement.”
The statement added: “When, at that time, those in power in Hilvan attacked the neighborhood where he lived, he responded with great courage, firing his weapon without hesitation, clearly demonstrating that he would not submit to the tyranny of the large landowners and lords. He instilled great courage in the Apoist militants. One of the greatest sources of the moral strength of the Apoist fighters resisting the state-backed feudal large landowners and lords in Urfa was İsmail Ağaç. The people of Hilvan, and all of Urfa, know very well of İsmail Ağaç’s patriotism and bravery. Comrade İsmail is deeply loved and the Apocu militants will always remember him with great gratitude and admiration.
After the September 12 military coup, his entire family witnessed the state’s oppression and torture firsthand. They migrated to Mersin and the Adana region. Our uncle İsmail and our mother Aynzelxa lost three of their children as martyrs in the Kurdish freedom struggle. One of his sons and two of his grandchildren continue to fight within the Kurdish freedom struggle to this day.”
The statement continued: “İsmail Ağaç, a great patriot of Kurdistan, has always taken pride in his children and grandchildren being part of the struggle. He lived and fought his life based on loyalty to his martyrs. Being worthy of his martyrs was his primary goal. Although he was among the world’s poorest in material terms, he was among the strongest and richest in spiritual terms. Being the object of his people’s deep love was his greatest value and wealth. This great patriot will always be remembered in the history of a free Kurdistan. The free and democratic life of the Kurdish people will be built upon the struggle of such patriots. When one speaks of an exemplary patriot, an exemplary father, or an exemplary mother, they will be among the first to come to mind. This family’s story deserves to be told in novels, films, and plays. Expressing their emotions through art will significantly elevate the standards of patriotism, freedom, and democracy in Kurdistan.
We remember our uncle, our comrade, our friend, İsmail, with compassion; his legacy will be realized no matter the cost, and we will prove worthy of him. We will keep his memory alive in every form and at all times.”
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