The YJA Star (Free Women's Troops) Central Headquarters Command released a statement commemorating PKK co-founder Sakine Cansız (Sara), Fidan Doğan (Rojbîn) and Leyla Şaylemez (Ronahî) who were assassinated in Paris by a contract killer of the Turkish secret service (MIT) on 9 January 2013.

The YJA Star statement on Tuesday includes the following:  

"On the occasion of the eleventh anniversary of the assassination of our leading commander and co-founding cadre of our party, comrade Sara, and the fighters of the free women's and youth movement, Rojbîn and Ronahî, we respectfully commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution. We renew our promise that we will lead their struggle to victory.

‘Sara is our compass to freedom’

Our freedom movement with the women-liberating paradigm of Rêber Apo [Leader Abdullah Öcalan] has become the light of hope for all women in the world, especially for Kurdish women. Women who believe in Rêber Apo and his philosophy have united today to form an unbreakable revolutionary ring. Rêber Apo has realised the liberation of women against the patriarchal mentality. The values of freedom expressed in his person are today under attack from all hegemonic forces. Despite these attacks, our party, the PKK, is still the most resilient force in the Middle East today and is led by women. The reason for this is the tradition of militant and resilient women, of warriors like comrade Sara. To believe in Leader Apo is to reveal the certain victory. We see the simplest form of this reality in the personality of comrade Sara, one of our pioneer commanders. Comrade Sara was the first woman to believe in and walk with Leader Apo. Despite the harsh conditions of the time and the feudal pressures of society, comrade Sara is the first companion, the first female commander and our first guide who dared to walk with Leader Apo. With her belief in success in the cause of freedom, she has guided us on this path and has been our guide like a compass to reach freedom. Our women's army emerged as a result of the great efforts and labour of Sara and her comrades. The women of the PKK, who pioneered the women's revolution, grew, multiplied and spread all over the world with the struggle of Sara. Today, it has become the greatest hope of life and freedom for the women of the Middle East and the women of the world.

‘We have learned to find ourselves in the person of Sara’

This path of the women's liberation struggle, the development and achievements of the women's army today, are undoubtedly due to the intense efforts and endeavours of Rêber Apo and one of his first companions, comrade Sara. Sara's belief in this cause and the level she has reached in this struggle is a great success for us as her companions. We have learned to find ourselves in the person of Sara, to fight and to emerge victorious from every resistance. Our women's liberation struggle and the women's army, which started with Sara, are winning victories today with the resistance of women guerrilla fighters in all parts of Kurdistan.

The successors of Sara, who spat in the face of the tyrants and fascism in the Amed dungeon, are today fearlessly marching on the enemy all over Kurdistan, just like Sara. Especially in North and South Kurdistan, the militant, resilient and unyielding women's personality, which is revealed with revolutionary operations, especially in war tunnels, is undoubtedly a continuation of Sara's invincible character. In this sense, as YJA Star fighters, we know very well what and to whom we owe the level we have reached today and our gains. YJA Star forces, the successors of Saras, fighting against the invaders and destroying the enemy, will overwhelm the enemy and hold them to account like Sara did. Through people like Sara, we will lead our freedom struggle to victory and hold the male-dominated mentality that cannot tolerate the existence of free women to account.

‘The women's struggle led by Kurdish women has today become universal’

Women all over the world see Sara's struggle as their own struggle. The continuous women's struggle led by Kurdish women has today become universal all over the world in the person of comrade Sara. As Leader Apo has stated, the fact that the liberation of society depends on the liberation of women has become concrete in the person of Sara. In this reality, the conviction that freedom will come through the women's revolution has been strengthened and solidified. On this basis, we claim to bring our struggle for women's freedom, which began with Sara, to a climax and unite it with all women in the world.

The resistance of free women, which started with Sara, has been carried to the highest level under the leadership of Leyla, Axîn, Hêjar, Ardem, Doğa, Havîn, Jîndar and many more of our pioneering commanders. It is the historical task of all YJA Star guerrillas to face every attack carried out by the Turkish state by standing upright like comrade Sara. Because Sara means struggle. Sara means overrunning the enemy, Sara means not compromising what you know and believe in.

Our struggle for women's freedom, which has come to this day with the blood and labour of our martyred comrades who are the followers of comrade Sara, has revealed a power that overwhelms the enemy. As YJA Star forces, we declare that in 2024 we will take revenge for Sara, Rojbîn and Ronahî, Evîn, Sêvê, Fatma, Pakize and all the women who were martyred in the free women's struggle. We reiterate our promise to raise the flag of freedom that we took over from Sara, Rojbîn and Ronahî to the peak and to hold the Turkish state accountable for these bloody massacres. Long live Rêber Apo! Long live the women's freedom struggle of Sara and Evîn! Down with misogynist colonial fascism!"