Rizgar Adanmış (Rizgar Deniz), a Kurdish reporter working for ANHA News Agency, Çira TV and Stêrk TV  had suffered critical wounds as result of an ISIS attack against civilians in Deir ez-Zor countryside on 12 October. He was receiving treatment since and lost his life in a hospital in Qamishlo on 18 December. Two other Kurdish journalists, Dilishan Ibis and Hogir Mihemed, had been killed along with dozens of civilians in the same attack.

Rizgar’s body was received by Makhmur people at Sêmalka border crossing between Southern and Western Kurdistan Sunday noon. People chanted “Şehid namirin” (Martyrs are immortal) as they joined a convoy of dozens of cars and headed to Makhmur Refugee Camp for final farewell.

The ceremony at Makhmur Culture and Arts Centre began with a minute’s silence, followed by cinevision screening telling about Rizgar Deniz’s life and struggle.

Message of Democratic Press Union (YRD) was read afterwards, highlighting martyrs of free press who marched on the path of truths, and vowed to continue with this march of free press workers.

ANF reporter and free press worker Seyit Evran also held a speech and said: “Rizgar became a symbol of free press and walked on the path of truth. We will follow in their footsteps and never leave their pen on the ground.”

Martyr Rüstem Cudî Camp Administration Co-chair Hüseyin Kara offered condolences to Adanmış family and said; “Rizgar is a child of this camp. He represented the camp at the highest level. As residents of this camp, we are proud of our martyrs and we will follow in their footsteps until we attain freedom.”

Speaking after, Rizgar’s mother Meryem Adanmış said; “I offer my condolences to Leader Apo and all our patriotic people. Rizgar choose freedom and we promise that we will not leave his camera and pen on the ground.”

Rizgar’s sister Hewlêr Adanmış offered her condolences to the Kurdish people and said; “Martyr Rizgar is not my brother alone, he is your brother too. We will remain loyal to the memory of our martyrs until the very end.”

After the speeches, Rizgar was laid to rest with slogans Şehit namirin” and “Biji Serok Apo” (Long Live Leader Apo).

Rizgar Deniz was born in Siirt, Northern Kurdistan in 1991. His family fled Turkish fascism in Kurdish villages in Botan region during 1993-1994 and migrated to Southern Kurdistan in 1996. From the building of the Makhmur Camp in 1998, he lived there with his family until 2014.

He then started his study at the Department of Communications of a university in Southern Kurdistan. Yet, he didn’t wait to finish his study to work as a journalist as he was so eager to be an active part of the Kurdish struggle. In 2012, he started to distribute Rojev newspaper and write news articles in Makhmur to be the voice of his people as he witnessed the invasion in Kurdistan.

After the martyrdom of his friend Deniz Fırat in an ISIS attack in Makhmur, and the ISIS onslaught on Shengal in August 2014, he went to Shengal to report about the happenings there. He made the voice of Êzidî people heard by the world, and became the voice of resistance in Shengal.

He then went to Rojava where he reported the developments on the very frontlines amid battles across Northern Syria. He covered the fight against ISIS until the day he got seriously wounded, which eventually led to his martyrdom during the Operation Cizire Storm in Deir ez-Zor countryside.