Guerrilla fighters Mizgîn Berçem and Bahoz Cilo were martyred in a Turkish army bombardment in the countryside of Hakkari province. This was announced by the press office of the People's Defense Forces (HPG) and expresses its condolences to the families of the martyrs and the Kurdish people. According to the statement, the deadly attack took place on May 8 in Deşta Xanê in Cilo in Çukurca district of Hakkari.

The full identities of the two martyrs are:

Nom de Guerre: Mizgîn Berçem

First-Last Name: Özlem Kaya

Birthplace: Van

Names of Mother and Father: Refika – Tahir

Date and Place of Martyrdom: 8. May 2021 / Çukurca

***

Nom de Guerre: Bahoz Cilo

First-Last Name: Ferhat Taşdemir

Birthplace: Ağrı

Names of Mother and Father: Semra – Ayhan

Date and Place of Martyrdom 8. May 2021 / Hakkari

Mizgîn Berçem was born in Van; her family originally came from the neighboring province of Hakkari. Bahoz Cilo was the son of a family from the Ağrı region, which was expelled to western Turkey in the course of the state's depopulation of Kurdish villages.

An obituary of Mizgîn Berçem and Bahoz Cilo by the HPG said: "Each of our companions and all friends who have joined the caravan of martyrs represent the continuity of our resistance and are the cornerstones of our paradigm based on ecology, democracy and women's liberation. Capitalist modernity and its regional collaborators, who guarantee their existence through the exploitation of all oppressed components of society - first and foremost women and youth - aim to deal the final blow to society by destroying the PKK. Young people from all parts of Kurdistan are flocking to the ranks of the guerrilla in response to this sociocide in order to bring our peoples closer to their well-deserved victory. Our friends Mizgîn and Bahoz also turned to the mountains to participate in this incomparable resistance and to respond to our people's longing for freedom. They were among those who led the selfless struggle against the genocidal and colonialist state of Turkey."