Mother of Avaşin Kesra: I planted a flower in Afrin on March 8

Avaşin Kesra was born on New Year's Eve; she lost her life on March 8, International Women’s Day during the occupation of Afrin. She was sent off on her last journey on March 12, the anniversary of the Qamishlo Uprising. “I planted a flower in Afrin on March 8,” her mother Suad Süleyman said, referring to her daughter Avaşin Kesra. “Avaşin was born to make history and leave that history to those who are alive,” she said.

EBÎR MUHEMED

Qamishlo –In Rojava, women showed a historical resistance against ISIS, which was created by the sovereign states, and revived the resisting spirit of women all over the world. They put fear in ISIS members’ hearts. The women, who showed great resistance against all kinds of inhuman practices of ISIS, not only liberated the areas they lived in but also made a great difference in the lives of women. In the last article of our article series, we tell the story of Avaşin Kesra, who lost her life in the Turkish attacks on Afrin. She lost her life on March 8, 2018, while fighting against attacks on Afrin. Her mother Suad Süleyman spoke to NuJINHA about her daughter.

“She was smart and strong”

Avaşin Kesra was born in 1999 in the city of Qamishlo. “I have seven children. I was very happy when Avaşin was born. She attracted people's attention in her childhood. She had a strong relationship with her older brother. She was very smart and strong. She joined the Botan Culture and Art Group when she was a seventh-grade student because she loved weddings. Avaşin wanted to defend her homeland. In 2013, she decided to join the Women’s Security Forces. I told her she was very young so I couldn’t allow her to join the security forces,” Suad Süleyman told us.

“She was very young but had great thoughts”

Even though her mother didn’t allow her to join the security forces, Avaşin was determined to join. “She was young but had great thoughts. She fought along with Asayish members for two years. Everyone knows Avaşin because she was friendly and helped her friends. When she got sick, her friends kept her watch; she never turned her back on her friends even if she was very tired or sick. Her death anniversary is very close. She never broke my heart from the day she was born to the day she died, and I have always been proud of her. She was the joy and happiness of this house,” her mother said.

“My daughter promised her friends at the cemetery”   

Noting that Avaşin lost her two friends in a clash, Suad Süleyman said, “In 2014, she decided to join the fighters for freedom. In 2014, she lost two of her friends in a clash. At their funeral ceremony, she promised her friends to ‘join the security forces’. We are supporters of the movement led by Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) for years. We grew up on this path. If I hadn’t allowed my daughter to join the resistance for freedom, I would have betrayed myself and my party.”

“I celebrate her birthday every year”

After joining the security forces, Avaşin was injured in Manbij. “Although she suffered from pain, she always kept her spirits up,” Suad Süleyman said, “I talked to her on the phone. She told me, ‘mother, never worry about me. If I martyrize one day, you should keep your spirits up.' She went to Afrin in 2016 and I knew I wouldn’t see her again. I celebrate her birthday every year even if I know she will never come back.”

Avaşin martyrized on March 8

Suad Süleyman told us that Avaşin martyrized on March 8, International Women's Day, a historic day for her. “She fought to defend her land and always kept her spirits up. There was a great fight in Afrin during the attacks of the Turkish state. We knew, felt that Avaşin would martyrize in Afrin. She martyrized on March 8, 2018. Before she became a martyr, she celebrated International Women’s Day with her friends.

“I planted my flower in Afrin”

Stating that she is proud of her daughter, Suad Süleyman said, “When I think about her birthday, the day she joined the resistance and the day she martyrized, I say that Avaşin was born to make history and leave that history to those who are alive. She was born on New Year's Eve, she joined the resistance on March 12, the anniversary of the Qamishlo Uprising and she became a martyr on International Women’s Day. Avaşin was my flower and I planted my flower in Afrin.”

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