Before her martyrdom on the battlefront, Hoffmann wrote: “I made a decision and I have lived with these thoughts in my head for days. Now is the time to take a step as strong as the currents of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. I want to be a part and protector of the Rojava Revolution. I want to improve myself there. I want to get to know about our struggle that unites all oppressed peoples. More importantly, I want to defend the revolution with my life, if necessary. I know what my decision may bring, and I am aware of the importance of this struggle.”

ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN STRIKES AND PROTESTS

Born and raised in Emmerich, Germany, Hoffmann was the daughter of German mother Michaela and Togolese father Kossi. She had a big family with a total of 12 siblings. When she was a teen, Ivana was actively involved in her community in Emmerich, where she played for the local football team. Her friends and family remember her as a lovely child who loved to sing, dance and make music with many friends.

She later moved to Duisburg-Meiderich where she lived until she went to Rojava. She became politically active there from a very early age and joined the Education Strike movement in 2009. In the following years, she took part in feminist organizations, anti-fascist actions, and protests of the Blockupy Movement as a revolutionary. She also participated in protests to commemorate internationalist martyrs and to demand the release of political prisoners.

FIGHTING ISIS FACISM

In 1994, she joined the KGÖ (Communist Youth Organization), the youth wing of Turkey-based MLKP (Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Turkey). In the summer of 2013, she participated in a political youth camp and the KGÖ delegation which organized various demonstrations in Turkey. Hoffmann developed her organizational skills within the KGÖ and assumed several responsibilities and duties. In the spring of 2014, she decided to join her comrades in the MLKP to fight ISIS fascism in Iraq and Syria. She joined other internationalists who had come to do their part to change the course of the war.

A KEY MEMBER OF HER TROOP

In Kurdistan, she adopted "Avashin" as a nom de guerre in reference to an area in the Medya Defence Zones held by guerrilla forces. She received intensive ideological, political and linguistic training with other guerrillas in the Medya Defence Zones. She later went to Rojava and took her place on the front lines in battles.

She was determined to improve herself as a fighter and was enthusiastically involved in all aspects of military life. One of her comrades who received training with her in the mountains described Hoffmann: “She was always eager to get to know the various weapons, to quickly disassemble, clean and maintain them. Yet, she was not satisfied enough. Convincing our commanders, she managed to take part in our training activities such as reconnaissance, intelligence, ambush, infiltration, raid, camouflage. Comrade Avashin also acted as a key member of our troops in the organization of communal life. She was always with us, taking part in daily work in the kitchen, on guard duty, making bread, collecting firewood and carrying loads on her back over long distances. We were all struggling to get rid of urban habits that hindered guerrilla activities in the countryside. Comrade Avashin was also struggling against her own urban habits.”

MARTYRED AND IMMORTALIZED, LEAVING A GREAT LEGACY

Martyr Avaşin Tekoşîn Güneş was martyred on March 7, 2015, in fierce clashes in the Til Nasır village of Til Temir, north of Hesêkê. One of her comrades, who fought alongside her in this emplacement, spoke about the attack that killed her and her comrades: “We were used to the sounds of guns and mortars because of the continued attacks and clashes in Til Temir. The enemy forces attacked the village next to us shortly before 2 am on March 7, and our village shortly thereafter. I woke all the comrades up with Comrade Avashin. She grabbed her BKC machine gun and ran towards the direction of the attack. This was the last time I saw Comrade Avashin. She was martyred about a couple of hours after the armed conflict started. Later, I heard from friends who were with her on the battlefield, how bravely she had fought. She proved her loyalty to the party and to the revolution when she faced the enemy troops. She bravely fought fascist mercenaries and became immortal. Comrade Avashin was a young party fighter who dared to get beyond the borders and fight on the front lines. She became immortal, leaving a great legacy.”

'ROJAVA IS A NEW BEGINNING'

She had said the following on the battlefront before she was martyred: “There is ISIS in the area behind us. We've been here for a week. We have been protecting our position and defending the Rojava Revolution for a week. I decided to come to Rojava because there is a fight here on behalf of humanity, rights and internationalism. Rojava is a new beginning. Rojava is hope.”

In memory of Martyr Avaşin Tekoşîn Güneş, the neighbourhood in the city of Til Temir, where she was martyred, was named after her.