The most tangible expression of the Kurdish freedom struggle’s transformation from the local to the universal can be seen in the internationalist guerrillas who joined the struggle and were martyred in its ranks. Those who have not strayed from the moral essence of humanity, and who have managed to resist despite the deceptive allure of modern civilization, are now taking their place within the Kurdish Freedom Movement.

In both spirit and emotion, they find themselves deeply rooted in this struggle. In their search for meaning and in pursuit of their utopias, they discover the clearest and most genuine answers in the paradigm of President Öcalan. They stand fully alongside a people fighting to determine their own destiny, waging battle shoulder to shoulder with them.

Figures such as Ronahî (Andrea Wolf), Nûdem (Uta Schneiderbanger), Şiyar (Jakob Riemer), Sara (Sarah Handelmann), Bager (Michael Panser), Azad (Thomas Johann Spies), Elefteria (Eva Maria Steiger), and most recently Tîjda Zagros (Kelly Freygang), are remembered in history for their integrity, commitment, and revolutionary spirit.

From Kelly to Tîjda

Tîjda Zagros was born in Hamburg, Germany. Raised in a leftist-socialist family tradition, she declared even as a young child that she wanted to become a revolutionary when she grew up. Her search for meaning and her dreams were always shaped by this conviction. And when the time came, she remained true to her childhood aspirations and fulfilled them.

While studying law at university, the brilliance and grandeur of the Kobanê resistance reached all the way to Europe. It was a time when the entire world bore witness to the Kurdish people’s fight against the brutal forces of ISIS. It also coincided with a period when the Rojava Revolution was being closely followed by peoples across Europe. Tîjda was among those who followed this process with great interest.

When she encountered the resistance of a people she had never met, in a land she had never known, her life arrived at a turning point. She wanted to understand this truth, to engage with it closely. With a desire to explore the ideology of President Öcalan more deeply, she began to take part in political work. She came to realize that the answers to all the questions she had been asking were hidden within this paradigm. As her bond with President Öcalan’s thought grew deeper, so too did her connection to the Kurdish freedom struggle.

She could not remain indifferent to what she witnessed and learned. What moved her most deeply was the women's liberation ideology developed by President Öcalan. The story of women, powerful enough to embrace the experiences of a young woman from Europe, struck her with clarity and urgency. She realized that the first step toward liberation required breaking away from the system. She knew that the mountains of Kurdistan were the place where President Öcalan’s teachings came to life, and that this was where she could truly experience that beauty.

She felt the pain and oppression endured by the Kurdish people deep in her heart. No matter the cost, she believed that it had to change, and she took steps that always looked forward. She had long understood that internationalism was not just about solidarity, but about claiming the struggle as one’s own. She believed that through the Kurdish Freedom Struggle, she could overcome fragmentation and incompleteness in her own life.

This movement, this struggle, this utopia gave her that belief. With full awareness that joining meant more than words, it meant total commitment, she made her decision.

She could no longer suppress her curiosity about the guerrilla and, in 2017, turned her face to the mountains and her heart to the struggle. Tîjda, who never liked to leave any decision unfinished, stood fully behind her choice to join. Not once did she experience regret or hesitation, for her, the promise she gave was sacred.

Tîjda dedicated her years in the struggle to unwavering commitment and militant discipline. She lived every moment with intensity, aiming to make each one a step toward success. She described her years of revolutionary life within the Apoist tradition in these words:

“Everything begins with change and transformation. The goal of our comrades is our goal, and our goal is the goal of our comrades. They are inseparable. We are preparing ourselves to realize the physical freedom of President Öcalan. This struggle gives me hope.”

In the mountains of Kurdistan, Tîjda experienced freedom to the fullest. She always considered herself fortunate to have the chance to live with such dignity and depth of freedom.

In the sanctuary of the self-sacrificing

Tîjda was deeply devoted to the mountains of Kurdistan. Her purpose and direction were clear; she believed in them wholeheartedly and acted with that awareness. Hers was a conscious and deliberate commitment. She embraced the beauty of growth, change, and transformation. She was someone who gave up living for herself and instead dedicated her life to ensuring that humanity could live in freedom.

The mountains gave her much, and what she gave back to them will not be forgotten. In the free mountains of Kurdistan, she took part in many different areas of work. She gained significant experience, both ideologically and militarily, and passed through various stages of education. She came ever closer to her own truth. She never treated the time she spent with her comrades as ordinary; she lived each moment with a deep appreciation for its value.

In 2021, she reached yet another turning point. She made a new decision, to live and fight on the path of the self-sacrificing militant. She, too, heard the call of freedom that Zîlan once voiced. Zîlan now lived in her heart as well. She felt the spirit of devotion and self-sacrifice in every part of her being.

She had entered the sanctuary of those who love life so deeply that they are willing to die for it. She knew that by becoming a self-sacrificing militant, she would reach a life of greater meaning. If in Kurdistan, the name for such devotion, militancy, and revolutionary spirit is “becoming Zîlan,” then now another name for it is Tîjda Zagros.

Departure to the battlefield

In a video recorded ahead of her departure to the battlefield, Tîjda said: “I am going in the name of my commitment to the comrades who were martyred in the struggle for freedom and to President Öcalan.” She set out with a promise that she would accept nothing less than victory and that she would fight until it was achieved. Perhaps because she disliked leaving anything unfinished or incomplete, she took her place at the frontlines with unwavering belief.

In another interview, she added: “The physical freedom of President Öcalan is our unquestionable goal. I am ready to pay whatever price is necessary.” And so, she set out to become the red star of the struggle.

Even in the most intense moments of war, she never abandoned her post. That position was where her childhood dreams had come true. It was the realization of her utopia. After the cold and lifeless existence of Europe, it was in the trenches of resistance that she truly understood the meaning of life.

She met hardships and impossibilities with passion and a smiling face. She lived and fought as a self-sacrificing militant. She stood firmly behind her commitments and carried her hope with a noble spirit and honorable stance.

Her life story, which began in the city of Hamburg in Europe, continued in the rebellious mountains of Kurdistan. She became a brave warrior of Kurdistan, a resolute defender of socialism’s principles of life. She engraved her courage, her faith, and her soul into these mountains. That is why this noble resistance has surpassed borders and become universal.

Tîjda Zagros was martyred on 29 April 2025 in the Girê Bahar resistance area of the Martyr Delîl Western Zap region during a Turkish military attack. She lived and became eternal in a way that honored the meaning of her name. Her story now belongs to the story of Kurdistan itself.