Guerrilla Welat Arjîn Tolhildan (Emine Ekmez) died on 8 December in an attack by the Turkish army in the region of Metîna in South Kurdistan. The HPG (People's Defense Forces) have released information about her identity and expressed their condolences to her family and the people of Kurdistan. The HPG said that Welat was a freedom guerrilla and a convinced militant of the PAJK (Party of Free Women in Kurdistan), who was loved and respected by her comrades for her clear stance in the women's liberation struggle, her attachment to the apoist ideology and her simple and modest life.

The HPG Press Center said the following about the identity and lives of the martyrs:

  Codename: Welat Arjîn Tolhildan

  First and last name: Emine Ekmez

  Place of birth: Amed

  Names of mother and father: Adalet – Mehmet Nazif

  Date and place of death: 8 December 2023 / Metîna

Welat Arjîn Tolhildan was born in Amed-Bismîl and grew up in an environment close to the Kurdish liberation movement. She experienced her first major contradiction when she started school because the lessons were not in her native language. Like most children and young people in the Amed province, her personal development was shaped by the PKK's freedom struggle and the oppression by the Turkish state. As a young Kurdish woman, she sympathized with the guerrillas and rejected the traditional role of women in society. She read Abdullah Öcalan's analysis and found herself confirmed in them.

During her studies, Welat became active in the Kurdish youth movement. She was aware of the need to fight and continued her education in various areas. After a while she took on tasks in the areas of media and social work. During this time, she was arrested twice. She was not intimidated by the repression and reacted with even greater determination. The destruction of the old town district of Sûr in Amed and other Kurdish cities by the Turkish security forces during the resistance for self-government in 2015/2016 caused great anger in her. She completed her studies and joined the guerrillas in the mountains of Amed in 2016.

After a brief stay in Amed, guerrilla Welat came to the Medya Defense Areas for basic training. She learned the basics of guerrilla life and took part in it with great enthusiasm. Her journey to the mountains was a very conscious decision and she dealt intensively with women's liberation ideology and her own personality. She found the training with the guerrillas to be significantly more instructive than her university studies. She immediately put her new findings into practice. She realized that women's leadership depends on their attitude to the principles of freedom. She took this stance without compromises or reservations. She developed into a competent fighter of the YJA Star guerrilla and a convinced militant of the PAJK. For a while she took part in the work of the Komalên Ciwan youth community, incorporating her experiences from working with young women and men in the past. With her strong and intelligent personality, she quickly grasped the requirements of all the tasks assigned to her and set herself ever greater goals.

After the Turkish invasion attacks on the Medya Defense Areas began, guerrilla Welat went to Metîna at her own request in 2021 and took part in the resistance.

She learned more about new guerrilla tactics every day and was involved in many actions against the Turkish army. She was constantly looking for ways to support and help her fellow fighters in the tunnels. Guerrilla Welat died in an attack on 8 December.