“As the successors of Comrade Sara and our self-sacrificial martyrs, we continue to live and fight with them. We give our word that we will avenge them,” said a guerrilla in the ranks of the HPG (People’s Defense Forces).
Sakine Cansız (Sara), who was murdered in Paris eleven years ago by the Turkish intelligence service together with Fidan Doğan (Rojbîn) and Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahî), fought on many levels during the decades of her revolutionary life.
HPG fighter Serhat Jêhat spoke to ANF about what impact the political assassination had and what he thought was special about Sakine Cansız.
The HPG guerrilla stated: "The murder of Sara, Rojbîn and Ronahî had a profound impact. It signalled to the Kurdish people that their will is not recognised and that they must expect attacks everywhere. Comrade Sara was one of the co-founders of the PKK. She came from Dersim and was attacked because she was a pioneer. Her struggle for freedom has inspired many Kurdish women and women around the world.
The women's liberation movement launched by Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] is a revolution against a mentality that has existed for five thousand years. In the PKK, oppressed and enslaved women have found their way to freedom. Comrade Sara confronted pressure from family and the traditional way of life and joined the freedom movement even before the PKK was founded. She was one of those who took this path together with Rêber Apo. She led a great struggle for the freedom of women in Kurdistan. Today, this struggle has spread to the whole world.
In her book ‘My whole life was a struggle’, Comrade Sara describes herself. This book should be read by everyone and used for their own education. It is a description of what constitutes an Apoist militant personality. Comrade Sara's entire life was a manifestation of this personality. For us, Comrade Sara stands for the principles of freedom. She did not bow to fascism in prison and made the fascist military regime fail. Her stance was clear: either a free life or resistance to the end. Apoist militants did not surrender; surrender was out of the question for them under any circumstances. Comrade Sara lived by this conviction. She dedicated her entire life to the revolution.
Comrade Sara's spirit of resistance still lives on today. A concrete example of this are our fighting comrades who are willing to sacrifice themselves in the tunnel war. As the successors of Comrade Sara and our self-sacrificial martyrs, we continue to live and fight with them. We give our word that we will avenge them."
