NEWS CENTER - I am going to Piranşehr, the hometown of 16-year-old Zekeriya Xeyal and Komar Deruftade, who were killed in the protests for Jîna Eminî, located on the Bashur border of Rojhilat. The families of Zekeriya and Komar, who told their stories, stated that they were forced to make a statement that their children were killed by the activists.

 

Piranşehr city of Rojhilat is a city with a population of approximately 150 thousand people, located on the border of Bashur. It is approximately 10 kilometers from the Temerjin and Haci Umran border gates between Bashur and Rojhilat. This city, which was established on a wide and fertile plain, became a city learned by those who had not heard of it before, with the actions and children killed after the murder of Jîna Emini.

 

There is nobody left in this city who doesn't recognize Zekeriya Xeyal, who was killed when he was only 16, and Komar Deruftade, also 16, who was killed in protests that resumed in the 40th ceremony of Xeyal. I learned about Zekeriya with his mother's lament at his grave, and Komar from his Instagram account "even the lofty mountains avenge its loneliness on us" and from the videos his father told his story at the grave of his son. And as soon as I got to Iran, I looked for ways to talk to families who lost their children. For a while, while trying to understand what was going on, I also waited for the news from the families through intermediaries. I'm on my way to this city with a phone call from Piranşehr. After reaching the city and talking to my news source here, we go to Zekeriya Xeyal's house. After expressing condolences to the family, the mother and the father began to talk about their children.

 

'THE PROTESTS WERE FADING OUT WHEN ZEKERİYE WAS SHOT'

 

Zekeriya was 16. He went to school until 7th grade and then had to work to support the family because of his father's illness. Zekeriya, who worked as a waiter in a bakery in the city until noon and in a wedding hall until midnight, was the only son of his family. He had an older sister and two younger sisters. On September 21, Zekeriya was shot dead with a single bullet in the back, near Şebina Roj School on Kerî Coh Street, while trying to go home with his friends. The protests were fading out when Zekeriye was shot" his family and citizens we spoke with said.

 

'REGIME THREATENED US'

 

Zekeriya Xeyal's father, Süleyman Xeyal, says he heard his son was shot from his brother: "My brother called me and said that Zekeriya was injured. The truth was, my son was martyred at the scene. State forces asked us to bury Zekeriya's body that night without delay. Then we went to the cemetery early in the morning. Although we went there very early, the news that Zekeriya had been shot spread throughout Piranşehr in a short time and the people flocked to the cemetery. Everyone who heard what happened to my son did not leave us alone that day."

 

'WE NAMED OUR NEW BORN NIECE JÎNA'

 

Stating that his sister gave birth to a daughter before Zekeriya was killed and they named her after Jîna, the father said, "4 days later, they took my Zekeriya from me. My Zekeriya was much older than his age. He would call me and inform me when there was a time. He would call me and inform me when some's sick, or someone died or if they have a happy day.  He told me, 'Father, go visit them.' My son warmed everyone's hearts. Not only in Piranşehr, but in all Kurdistan, the people embraced him, he felt his pain in their hearts. This was our greatest consolation against such a great pain. Our son Zekeriya left us in a path he drew for himself and not in a bad path. We are proud of him."

 

'HE WASN'T ABLE TO WEAR HIS NEW SHIRT'

 

Zekeriya's mother, Amine Abdullah Nejad Eqdem, who took the passport photos of her son and kissed them, says that she can't get enough of her child. The mother, who showed me one of the three passport photos in her hand, said, "He saw a beautiful colored fabric with beautiful patterns in the bazaar and he liked it very much. I had this shirt sewn for him from that fabric. He loved this shirt very much. They took him from me before he could wear it to the fullest. It's not worth it. If you have a piece of bread, you have to share it with someone who doesn't have it. He was a very sensitive child, sensitive to people and society."

 

'WHAT IS BEING DONE TO THE PEOPLE ANGERED HIM'

 

Father Süleyman Xeyal takes the floor again and continues to tell about his son: "I wish he was alive right now, sitting at my knee and not doing any work. He had such a personality that he immediately attracted attention with his nice conversation skills and that beautiful smile. He was like his grandfather. He was angry with what was done to the people. It was like his blood was boiling. He was a child working in the bakery, but after his martyrdom, I was surprised that so many people came and told me about him. When did my Zekeriya know so many people? Yes, he grew up in my house. He received his education in this house, but he lost his life for this cause. We are proud of him for that. He didn't do anything that would break my heart even for a single day. . When I was angry with someone, he would say, 'Dad, never mind it's not worth breaking someone's heart'. I didn't understand what he wanted to say. But after his death, a woman we didn't know came to offer her condolences and said, 'When there was no bread in the oven, he used to give us the bread he had reserved for himself,' and I was proud of him once again."

 

'I REMOVED THE BULLET WITH MY OWN HANDS'

 

Explaining that he removed the bullet from his child's body with his own hands and kissed him on his forehead, father Süleyman Xeyal said: "There are thousands of people in Kurdistan who have not even been buried. I washed the body of my son with my own hands. I removed the bullet from his body with my own hands. I told everyone that I was not the only one suffering from his death and they should offer their condolences to the whole Kurdistan. It is not enough to just say farewell to a person who died for his people." 

 

When his wife, Amine, tells about his son in tears, father Süleyman tries to console his wife: "Amine, at least we know where our child's grave is. We hope that the detainees will experience the joy of reuniting with their families. May God forgive those who were martyred, and let those whose children were on the mountain reunite with their families."

 

'THEY SHOT ME TOO IN THE 40TH CEREMONY OF MY SON' 

 

Reminding that the people of Piranşehr attended the commemoration at Zekeriya's 40th day ceremony and a great commemoration took place in the cemetery, father Süleyman Xeyal continued his words as follows: "On that day, people would come to my house to express their condolences. And I did not want people to be shot in front of my house. Because there were many people from other cities, too. In the cemetery, I said, "Me and my wife's heart is broken, I don't want another mother and father's heart to burn." My wife went to her brothers' house, so I locked the door and went to another place. However, on the 43rd day of Zekeriya's death, they killed Komar. And that day I was in front of my house, I saw 5 people enter the street and they opened fire on me. I was shot in the leg at the door of my house too. Many people were injured by the fire opened by the state forces that day. A 12-year-old girl was also injured. This child was injured by a Kalashnikov bullet. They stitched her severed finger in the hospital and I learned that she is in good condition."

 

His father, whom I asked about the statement made by the state forces after Zekeriya Xeyal was killed that they were not the one's who killed Zekeriya, father Xeyal refuted the claim and said that the state forces killed his son.

 

The father and mother finally demanded that the murderers be held accountable, and said: "We had only one son, and they took him from us."

 

KOMAR DERUFTADE, SHOT FROM CLOSE RANGE

 

After saying goodbye to Zekeriya Xeyal's family and wishing them patience, we are on the way to Komar Deruftade's house. Komar Deruftade was a 16-year-old boy who was an 11th grader at the 9 Day School who was shot down in the protests that started after Zekeriya Xeyal's 40th ceremony. A few hours before he lost his life, he said from his social media account, "We the peoples of the Middle East, some of us are killed in war, some in dungeons, some in the middle of the street. Some of us are drowning in the sea. Even the high mountains avenge their loneliness from us. Because our role is to die."

 

On Sunday, October 30th, Komar was shot at Mihemed Hewraz Crossroads by a shotgun fired from short range, with dozens of bullets piercing his body. Komar, who was taken to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Piranşehr, lost his life. The family buried Komar in the village of Zewka. State forces repeatedly threatened Komar's father to say that his son had been shot by activists. But the father did not succumb to the threats and continued talking fearlessly about who had shot his son.

 

Father Hesen Deruftade and mother Seyid Hecere Bersincî cannot get over the grief of their son. However, he states that they found some consolation because of the people supporting them. After expressing condolences to the family, the father shows photos of his child and begins to tell how much he loves Komar.

 

The father condemns both the Kurds who work as a ranger for the state and those who show respect to the murderers of the Kurds, and the first sentence comes out of his mouth was as follows: "Those who martyred Doctor Abdurrahman Qasimlo were greeted with a red carpet in Hewlêr. It's a pity."

 

THE GREATEST REVENGE

 

Emphasizing that his son Komar led a way in front of them even with his death and that he also wanted to resist, father Hesen Deruftade said, "We are very happy that the people was there for my son. Those who understand this world know their duty. Yes, the martyrs are leaving us, but they are showing us a way and lead us too. They say that another world is possible, that people can live in peace. Yes, revenge can be taken from the murderers of my son. However, the greatest revenge is to achieve the goals for which our children lost their lives. The important thing here is not to lose oneself."

 

REGIME FORCED THE FAMILY TO SAY THEIR SONW AS KILLED BY PROTESTERS

 

Father Hesen Deruftade answers a citizen who visited the family saying, "Some families whose children have been martyred are forced to appear on television and state that their children have died due to any illness or killed by protesters and says: "The state asked us to do the same. But we said we would not accept it no matter what. We stood tall with Komar and our people strengthened us." 

 

KOMAR NAMED AFTER PDK-İ

 

The father reminds that his son was born on August 25 and named his son Komar because of the PDK-I, which was established in August 1945 in Mahabad which would eventually be Kurdistan Republic. He continues to describe his son Komar as follows: "Komar has been a very sweet child since he was a child. We chose a name suitable for those days when he was born." Stating that he was like a friend to him, father Deruftade says: "God gave us a very beautiful and very good son, but he took it from us again. He was a very good boy, if he had lived..."

 

'KOMAR UNITED 4 PARTS OF KURDISTAN'

 

When we go home, we meet those who came to offer condolences from Çoman within the borders of Bashurê Kurdistan. For this situation, the father said, "Komar united 4 parts of Kurdistan in this room. He brought both Bashur, Bakur and Rojhilat together in one room," and expressed his hope for the days when Kurdistan would be liberated.

 

PEOPLE WHOSE CHILDREN ARE KILLED, ARE THREATENED BY THE REGIME

 

Just like in Mahabad, there are rangers as well as armed state forces in Piranşehr. The people tell that the district governor and mayor of the city are also from families who work as rangers, and that they persecute the people with the power of the state. Citizens we interviewed in Piranşehr say that the state forces, who at first intervened in the demonstrations with shotguns, directly intervened in the recent protests with Kalashnikovs.

 

People say that after Zekeriya Xeyal's murder, Piranşehr District Governor took a lot of police, soldiers and state officials to visit the family and threatened them that those who killed their children were protesters, but the family did not accept this.

 

During the protests that intensified in all cities of Rojhilat between November 16 and November 21 after leaving the city, citizens named Emir Ferastisad, Karwan Qadirşukrî, Tahir Ezîzî and Heyder Mehalî lost their lives in Piranşehr.

 

 

 

TOMORROW: 11 killed in 5 days in Bokan: We will not retreat for our future

 

 

MA / Abdurrahman Gök