The HPG Press Center confirmed in a statement that Commander Sıddık Budakbeyoğlu (Azad Çelê) had fallen a martyr due to illness.

The statement said: “Our valiant commander Comrade Azad Çelê, one of the precious sons of Çelê, one of the most ancient centers of the people of Kurdistan and patriotism, died in the Medya Defense Zones on 2 September 2021 due to illness.

The detailed identity information of our comrade Azad Çelê is as follows:

      Code Name: Azad Çelê

      Name and Surname: Sıddık Budakbeyoğlu

      Place of Birth: Çelê

      Mother - Father's Name: Hediye - Fazlettin

     Date of martyrdom : 2/09/2021

     Place of martyrdom: Medya Defense Areas

The statement added: “As Kurdistan Freedom Guerrillas, we would like to express our condolences to the esteemed patriotic family of our comrade Azad Çelê, to our Çele people, the homeland of heroic revolutionaries, and to all the people of Kurdistan.

Our comrade Azad Çelê was born into a patriotic family in the Çelê district of Colemêrg (Hakkari) in 1972. Our comrade Azad grew up with patriotic feelings, both because the people of Çelê have a historical memory stemming from the Kurdish rebellions and tribal tradition in the region, and because of his family's devotion to the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle. He got to know the Apoist struggle closely and personally witnessed the life of the guerrillas. He studied, researched, enlightened and conscious until high school. With the warm feelings in his heart and the enlightened truth in his consciousness, he believed that he too should fight for Kurdistan.”