ZEYNEB ÎSA

Qamishlo- Before the revolution in Rojava Kurdistan, Kurdish people were detained, arrested and faced oppression by the Syrian regime for preserving their culture, language and identity. Mizgîn Hesen was one of the Kurdish women who faced oppression. NuJINHA spoke to her about before and after the revolution.

Growing up in a Kurdish patriotic family, Mizgîn Hesen heard about the Kurdish Freedom Movement in the 1980s. “When I was five or six years old, Kurdish fighters used to come to our home. As children, we would gather around them and listen to the stories told by them. As children, we all dreamed of seeing leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan). Many people came to our home to take Kurdish lessons but my mother did not allow us to see them. We were children and my mother was afraid of us going out of the house and talking about them. My parents taught us the Kurdish language.”

‘I was held in prison for two months’

When she was a child, her family earned a living from agriculture. “We would grow lentils and cotton. My mother often went to see leader Apo.” In 1990, she got married but her husband’s family was not a patriotic family.

“They did not allow freedom fighters to come to their home because they were afraid of the Syrian government. I used to go to my parents’ home to see the fighters. In 2007, I was arrested because some betrayers reported to the Syrian government that I was a member of the Kurdish freedom movement. I was pregnant at the time. I was interrogated for three days but I did say anything. Then, I was transferred to the Sednaya prison in Damascus and I was held there for two months.”

‘I finally realized my dream’

After two months in prison, Mizgîn Hesen was released but she was often followed by intelligence agencies. Speaking about the start of the revolution in Rojava, she said, “When the revolution started, I was once again actively involved in the movement. We used to visit home by home and formed an assembly. I was elected as the chair of the assembly. Then, the YPG (the People's Defense Units) was formed and my husband joined the YPG. After forming assemblies in every neighborhood, we formed communes. I was the co-chair of the commune in my neighborhood. Then, the YPJ (Women's Defense Units) was formed. As a Kurdish woman, I joined the YPJ and finally realized my dream.”

Mizgîn Hesen fought as an YPJ fighter for eight years. “Then, I had to stay at home for a while due to my health problems. After receiving treatment, I worked for the PYD (Democratic Union Party) for a year. Later, I carried out activities for the municipality,” she said, adding that she would continue to struggle to the end. “My mother raised us with the philosophy of Leader Apo and I will raise my children with his philosophy.”