Tekoşin Tekin-Esra Aydın/JINHA

AMED – As Turkish state attacks against young and old, women and men mounted in the besieged town of Silopi, woman politician Sêvê Demir never abandoned the people, even for a moment. On the evening of January 4, she and two other women politicians were killed. Sêvê’s mother, Sakine Demir, said her daughter maintained her struggle for peace without ever surrendering to state oppression.

Like many Kurdish children in Turkey, Sêvê Demir was affected by the repression against Kurds at an early age. Sêvê, born in 1974 in the Savur district of Mardin province, was just four when her family had to migrate to the province of Manisa, in western Turkey. Here began Sêvê’s resistance, as she struggled to keep her Kurdish language and culture alive in largely Turkish Manisa. She became active in politics at a young age and was jailed for two years, charged with being a “member of the PKK” (Kurdistan Workers’ Party).

In 2004, Sêvê began to work on women’s projects in political parties and was active in the women’s movement. In 2009, she was one of thousands swept up in the Turkish state’s political cleansing operation against Kurds. Sêvê went to jail for five years this time, taking part in a 68-day prison hunger strike.

When she got out of jail, Sêvê immediately returned to politics. She was among the founding members of the women’s organization KJA (Congress of Free Women). This past August, she was elected a member of the party assembly of the DBP (Democratic Regions Party), organizing in the provinces of Mardin and Şırnak—including the town of Silopi.

When the Turkish state declared martial law in Silopi in 2015, Sêvê remained inside the besieged town in order not to leave the people alone. On the evening of January 4, police special operations officers attacking Silopi killed Sêvê and two other Kurdish women activists (Pakize Nayir and Fatma Uyar).

“Sêvê never went to school, but she was interested in everything; she’d research and learn everything,” said Sakine Demir, Sêvê’s mother. She said that Sêvê could start a conversation with anyone, of any age. “She wouldn’t look at anyone’s age or their belief; she included everyone with that great, pure heart of hers.”

Sakine recalled that Sêvê was rebellious from a young age. Soldiers raided the family’s house when Sêvê was just 12 years old, insulting and abusing the family. When Sêvê spoke Kurdish, the soldiers claimed she had “learned the language from the organization [PKK].” Sêvê shot back that she had never met the PKK; she said she wished she had so she could join them. The family had to stop the soldiers from taking her away.

Sêvê’s father initially didn’t want her to become involved in politics and leave the family home, but she insisted on getting involved in politics, saying “nothing will keep me from this struggle.” She later moved back to her native Kurdistan to continue her work. The last time Sêvê called her family, 20 days before she was killed, she said that she and the people of Silopi were struggling for their freedom.

“She said to her father, ‘We’re defending ourselves here. You’re the ones not defending yourselves. I told you to come with me; you didn’t. Now we will save not just ourselves, but you as well,’” said Sakine.

Sakine said that Sêvê and her friends were killed simply for standing by their people, with no guns in their hands. When the women were first wounded, locals called ambulances, but the state did not permit an ambulance. The women were later killed.

“They assassinated my Sêvê,” said Sakine. “I won’t cry for her, because she went with honor, without yielding to the state’s oppression. And I won’t ask, ‘Where’s the state, where’s the law?’ Because at this point we don’t see the Turkish state as legitimate anymore.”

Saying that “the only thing Sêvê wanted was peace,” Sakine promised that one day Kurdistan would be free, as Sêvê wanted.

(mg/cm)