NEWS CENTER – Şiyar – the Vigilant, Gabar – the mountains of Botan, Heartland of the Guerrilla. Şiyar Gabar – a name with so much meaning that it is difficult to find the right words. Şiyar or Jakob, as his family and friends from Hamburg knew and loved you, you have truly become a symbol for us, who were and will remain your friends and companions. If you knew that today many other young revolutionaries are taking your name out of respect, reverence and memory of you, you would certainly smile coyly and wave your hand. You’d be proud and honored, but at the same time you’d be a little embarrassed about the attention. It is this bashful but at the same time mischievous smile that comes to my mind again and again when I think of you. As far as I can, I want to share my memories of you with interested comrades and readers, because everyone should know that you are still alive here in the mountains of Kurdistan.
I myself knew Şehîd Şiyar from his time as a young teenager in the Gängeviertel in Hamburg, where he organized himself together with other young people. We only knew each other briefly at the time. Then later we met again in the mountains of Kurdistan, the liberated mountains of the so-called Medya Defense Zones, to be precise in the Qandil Mountains. I was in education at the time, but my friends made an exception and sent him to the academy where we spent a few days together. A short time, but one that connected us forever. The first time in the mountains is not always easy, especially if you don’t speak the language yet. But Heval Şiyar spared no effort and difficulty to learn and get used to life as a guerrilla fighter. We had long discussions these days. He told me about the latest developments in Hamburg and Germany, asked many questions and shared his first impressions and experiences with me. We had a lot to laugh about these days, as did all the other friends on site, who were happy about the presence of two Germans and also made fun of them in a friendly way. One of the first words from the movement’s literature that probably entered Heval Şiyar’s memory in those days must certainly have been ‘hemşehriçiti’, which means ‘local patriotic tampering’. It is a term used to criticize when two or more friends have a certain kind of exclusive relationship with each other because of their common origin from a certain region and thereby exclude other friends, but it is also often used jokingly in everyday life.
The beauty of the mountains is certainly in their nature, but what really makes the mountains of Kurdistan so special are the people who populate them, are the friendships that are forged there, are the shared experiences of struggle, life in nature, sweating together at work and the blood of countless women and men, which was spilled here, who became part of human history with their beauty, their dreams and ideas, their thoughts, deeds and words and their smiles and enriched the world and humanity. What makes the mountains of Kurdistan so special, from Qandîl via Amed to Dersîm, from Mêrîwan and Şaho via Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna to Botan, from Amanos via Bagok to Serhat, is the guerrillas who have been here for about 40 years fighting for the freedom of the Kurdish people and all the peoples of the region. The kind of friendship that develops here with each other is of a special kind. It lasts even when we are separated from each other in different places. It does not fade with time, but grows stronger and more intense with each second, each hour, each day, and more importantly, it is stronger than death itself.
Right from the start, Heval Şiyar was characterized by his character traits, which opened the door to the hearts of all his friends everywhere. Here I would like to emphasize two of these character traits in particular: modesty and naturalness. From the start, Heval Şiyar was obsessed with proving himself, but not to gain prestige but to learn, to be prepared for all the hardships and difficulties of a guerrilla’s life and struggle. Heval Şiyar didn’t need to pretend and never tried to show himself as anything other than himself. It was his naturalness, honesty, sincerity and loyalty that ensured that he made significant progress in a very short time. He worked hard on himself without losing a bit of himself. He changed, became an experienced freedom fighter and militant of the revolution, but always remained himself. He learned the Kurdish language in a very short time and from then on devoted himself to his own further education, both in the ideological and in the military field. We met a few more times later and spent a lovely few days of discussion, fun, laughter, sharing experiences and stories together. Before we said goodbye to each other last time, we took a photo together, hugged and wished each other success and that we would see each other again soon. Unfortunately, this long-awaited reunion should not come about. We went to different areas and with the start of the war from July 24, 2015, Heval Şiyar went to the front lines in Zagros Mountains at Cîlo and Çarçela Mountains. In the years that followed, I frequently heard messages from him through other friends who had spent some time with him and/or been in the same unit. They all always spoke highly of him – Heval Şiyar had already become an example of determination, open-heartedness and internationalism during his lifetime. He showed with his own life that the spirit of Monika Ertl, Hans Beimler and Ulrike Meinhof is still alive. With the path he took and followed with determination to the end, he made German-Kurdish friendship inseparable. He opposed the collaboration of the German state with the occupying Turkish state with his own life and thus became a defender and symbol of dignity and humanity.
Heval Şiyar, I can say this much with certainty, you did not die, because you live on in us and in our quest for freedom. Rest in peace, because your dreams and goals are not forgotten, they are also our dreams and goals today. You have led us to this point and we will now continue on your way. You are with us at every step, part of our life and struggle. Be assured, those who have known you in this struggle carry your smile in their hearts. Rêber APO says that every fallen person is a philosophy of life: You showed us how to live and we will follow your example.
Şoreş Ronahî
