Leyla Yıldıztan, who was born in 1984 in Xecîxatun village in Çaldıran district of Van province, was known as Deniz Fırat in the PKK ranks. Since her village was located on the border between Turkey and Iran, her family was repeatedly subject to attacks. For this reason, her family moved to Maku in 1990 and then to Urmia in Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan, Iran). After a while, they settled in Xakûrkê in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).
Deniz, who stayed in Xakûrkê in 1991-1992, witnessed the attacks on Southern Kurdistan with the co-operation of the Turkish state and the ruling party, KDP. In this process, Deniz and her sister Sarya (Sakine Yıldıztan), influenced by the martyrdom of Bêrîtan (Gülnaz Karataş) who rejected the KDP’s betrayal and chose resistance, decided to join the PKK. Her sister Binewş (Ayfer Yıldıztan), who had joined the PKK before Deniz, was martyred in a clash in Zap in 1997. Deniz only heard about the martyrdom of his sister Sarya, with whom she had joined the struggle, two years later, on 8 August 1999. Deniz was active in many areas in the guerrilla ranks and started to take part in press and media activities in 2007.
On the twelfth anniversary of her martyrdom, Deniz Fırat was commemorated at her grave in the rural neighborhood of Xeçxatun in Van’s Çaldıran district.
In addition to her family, those attending the commemoration included representatives of the Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association (MKG), the Van branches of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), the Association for Solidarity, Unity, Culture and Mutual Assistance with Families Who Lost Their Relatives in the Cradle of Civilizations (MEBYA-DER), members of the Peace Mothers Assembly, district executives of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and numerous journalists.
Ceylan Şahinli, a member of the MKG Van branch, said: “Like those who followed in her footsteps, Deniz Fırat carried on the tradition she came from. At a time when the whole world feared ISIS, she fought with her camera. Just like those who paid the price in the struggle for truth, she too gave her life for this cause.”
Deniz Fırat’s brother, Seyat Yıldıztan, said: “Deniz is not only our martyr but also the martyr of her party and her people. She fought with her camera, not for herself or for her family, but for all her people.”
DEM Party Çaldıran District Co-Chair Abbas Aksak also spoke, saying: “When the Kurdish people were attacked by ISIS, Deniz worked with her camera and her pen, reporting on the attacks for the entire world to see. She continued her struggle until the day she was martyred on August 8. She is a martyr of Kurdistan and of the free press.”
The commemoration concluded with participants placing flowers on her grave.
