JINHA

IZMIR - United Liberation Forces (BÖG) member Eylem Ataş (nom de guerre Cemre Heval) died when fighting against ISIS within scope of operation to liberate Manbij. Eylem's family and friends have tried to take her body; however, her body has been held at the border with several excuses. "We should do our best to take her body just like she did to take back Aziz's body." said the United Revolutionary Party Izmir President Hazal Elçin Yanar.

United Liberation Forces (BÖG) member Eylem Ataş (nom de guerre Cemre Heval) died on June 27, 2016 when fighting against ISIS within scope of operation to liberate Manbij. Eylem's family and friends have tried to take her body; however, her body has been held at the border with several excuses. Her body hasn't been given to her family. A signature campaign has been launched on change.org to take Eylem's body. United Revolutionary Party Izmir President Hazal Elçin Yanar told us that they wanted to issue a press statement in İzmir on the day Cemre died; however, police attacked them. She said, "We organized press statements and protests in many cities simultaneously after Eylem Ataş fell a martyr. We wanted to issue a press statement in Kıbrıs Şehitleri Avenue in İzmir; however, police attacked us and detained 19 people. We told them that commemorating Eylem Ataş isn't a crime but they told us that carrying Eylem's photos is inconvenient with an arbitrary treatment. After passing all night in the Police Department TEM Branch, nine of our friends were supervised released."

Hazal talked about Eylem, "She took her part in DEV-LİS (the Revolutionary High School Students Group) when she was a student at high school. She was always at the front of the barricades and took the flag first. She decided to move the struggle across borders. She fell a martyr while fighting against barbaric ISIS and her body has been held at the border since June 28. Her family and Revolutionary Party applied to take back her body; however, our applications have been refused as verbally. They said that the first petition was "lost". The second petition was refused due to "inappropriate content". They tell us, "Don't need to talk". But the family is insistent to take their daughter's body. The insistence of the family is our insistence. Eylem is our comrade. We'll take her body. Her family launched a signature campaign on change.org to take their daughter body. We call on everybody to sign the campaign. We'll bury Eylem Ataş on her own lands."

Hazal also said that: "Being buried on their lands is a human right. This state didn't give Aziz Güler's body for 59 days and now it does the same. This is actually a torture method. Eylem joined all protest organized to take Aziz's body. We should do our best to take her body just like she did to take Aziz's body. Give us Eylem's body."

(mb/dk/gd)