We are sad to learn that comrade Reşîd took his own life in 2021. He was an internationalist volunteer in YPG for over 4 years.
In our statement we want to honor his memory and speak of the mental health aspect of the revolutionary struggle, which needs much discussion.
Some of our members had the privilege of serving together with Reşîd in the operation of Tabqa, in the liberation of Raqqa, in the defense of Afrin, in the Deir ez-Zor campaign as well as in against the Turkish invasion of 2019. Not only was Reşîd a good fighter, he had also been a great addition to the field medical work wherever he was. He was a great, chill-out guy with a gentle heart, a true friend and a good comrade to everyone around him.
None of us who had traveled to Rojava to participate in its people’s self-defense knew about Reşîd’s death until very recently, nor did anyone have contact with him. We won’t speculate about his life after he returned home, or why he chose to end his own life. We can only say that the risk of suicide is not limited to those who joined a revolutionary movement, but is pandemic among people who have experienced war. It is painful to say that Reşîd was not the first one among us to have taken their own life after returning home.
Reşîd was not just a war veteran. Like us, he took up arms in the context of people’s revolutionary self-defense. Although the militarized frame isn’t only possible frame to develop revolutionary qualities, it is one of the essential parts of self-defense in NE Syria.
We thoroughly learn what can be accomplished with weapons; equally important, we also learn what cannot be accomplished with weapons. Weapons and all the military training in the world do not make people ready to do what is needed, not when we are defending a revolution. Through collective life & militarized frame in context of revolutionary struggle, we want to emphasize & foster comradeship, collective responsibility, discipline, commitment. For us, comradeship & connection with people & each other are among the strongest weapons we have.
Ruturning from Rojava to places we come from can be painful for many reasons: capitalist & patriarchal relations in society, PTSD, absence of ideological & social frameworks to practice revolutionary approach to life, isolation & disconnection, lack of collective life, & more.
For many, coming back and being forced to adapt to these conditions can be more difficult and painful than anything they went through on the frontline. While the Turkish-backed mercenaries were committing despicable crimes against the people, putting Erdogan’s genocidal program into practice, the issues we face in our societies which we described are proven to be equally deadly.
It is therefore vital that people can stay together, organize collectively, support and take care of each other. Without this foundation, the wounds that we carry, and the lonely struggle within the societies that we come from, can kill us.
We will forever cherish the memory of comrade Reşîd, and look to his spirit to guide our path forward. Regardless of the reason of his death, he is still a martyr to us all.
Tekoşîna Anarşîst,
January 2023,
North East Syria