Firyal Silêman Xalid, who was born in Amûdê in 1975 and was called Zelal Zagros within the Kurdish liberation movement, was shot dead in the street outside a school in the city of Kirkuk in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) on 18 January. The gunman and an accomplice appeared on a moped and fired nine shots at the revolutionary, most of which were fatal. After the crime, they were able to escape unrecognised. The Kurdish movement suspects the Turkish intelligence service MIT as the perpetrator of the deadly attack on Xalid.

Firyal Silêman Xalid was laid to rest in Hesekê on Monday. Her coffin was accompanied by hundreds of people in a convoy from the central headquarters of the Council of Martyrs’ Families to the Şehit Dijwar Cemetery of Martyrs in the village of Dawûdiyê in Hesekê. "Revenge" was repeatedly shouted along the way.

Speaking at the ceremony, Fatme Ali on behalf of the Assembly of Martyrs' Families said, "Martyr Zelal was killed by treason. We promise to follow her path and avenge her."

Kongra Star member Laleşin Hesekê emphasised that martyr Zelal defended the rights of free women and said, "There are threats from everywhere against the gains of the revolution. We must protect our revolution."

Laleşin Hesekê, who saluted the 31-year struggle of Martyr Zelal, said, "She has moved all over Kurdistan and worked without hesitation since she joined the Kurdistan Freedom Movement."

Speaking on behalf of the martyr's family, Minewer Xalid said, "Martyr Zelal has a long history of struggle. She bequeathed us to protect the gains of the Rojava revolution. She would always say that more should be done. We wanted more than that, we wanted to achieve women's freedom."

Şerzad Casim from the Zenubiya Women's Community said that the murder in Kirkuk was part of a long series of Turkish state murders that have claimed dozens of lives and left many people injured, some of them seriously, over the past decade.

"We call on international rights organisations to finally take action and bring those responsible for these political attacks to justice," demanded Casim. Welcoming the fact that two suspects in the case were arrested by Iraqi security authorities, she said it is now important that the attack is fully investigated and that the necessary consequences are drawn.

After the speeches, Xalid's certificate of honour was read out and presented to the family. The body of Firyal Silêman Xalid was buried accompanied by the slogan "Martyrs are immortal."