The Rojava revolution is perceived worldwide as a glimmer of hope and is a source of inspiration. YPJ fighter Hewlêr Hêvî said: "We are the army of a people who want to restore the democratic system from the past."

YPJ fighter Hewlêr Hêvî looks back on a year of hard resistance and points to the achievements made with high sacrifices. She recalls that Abdullah Öcalan was in Rojava for twenty years: “The result of his work was shown when thousands of young people joined the YPJ and YPG at the beginning of the revolution. The fact that a revolution could take place in one part of Kurdistan has given the population new hope. We are paying a very high price to defend the democratic system that we are trying to implement. All efforts of the imperialist system are aimed at wiping out democratic society and its desires. A war of historic importance had to be waged against this system. The struggle led by the YPJ and YPG was a historic step. The fighters used the philosophy of freedom that they learned from Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] to resist the colonial Baath regime. We have been trained to build a democratic and free system. The first example of this struggle was the Kobanê resistance. The Islamic State suffered its first major defeat there. Above all, the liberation of the Arab population has meant much to the fighters of the YPJ and YPG. One of the most important points of the democratic system in northern and eastern Syria is the equal coexistence of the Arab and Kurdish peoples. To make this dream come true, many of our friends gave their lives in the liberation campaign we carried out. Today your dreams have come true and are being lived here."

Glimmer of hope for the oppressed peoples

The Rojava Revolution in Kurdistan is a source of inspiration and hope for oppressed peoples, said YPJ fighter Hewlêr Hêvî adding: “There has never been a revolution like this in world history. There have been many uprisings in Kurdish history, but they never had the sufficient level of organization. All uprisings in Kurdistan have been bloodily suppressed. However, the Rojava Revolution occupies a special place in the history of Kurdistan. Therefore, the ruling powers in the world see this revolution as a threat to themselves and their very existence and are attacking Rojava on many different levels. But, we have to stress that the uprising of the Kurdish people can no longer be suppressed. The Kurds have achieved national awareness.”

Hewlêr Hêvî added: “The Turkish occupation army has taken Afrin thanks to its air force. The Kurdish people and their combat units put up a huge resistance to the invasion. Erdogan fascism was uncovered by this resistance before the eyes of the world. If the peoples do not resist the occupying powers, they will be wiped out. The Kurdish people will continue to resist the occupiers and defend the revolution. This revolution took place in the light of the thoughts of Rêber Apo. With the revolution of Rojava, the language, the culture and the existence of the Kurdish people were given a concrete framework. It was created by the people and the armed forces of the people. We, the YPJ and YPG, are not just a military force. We are the army of a people who want to give people back the democratic system from the past."