Leyla Walî Hasan, also known as Viyan Soran, was born in Sulaymaniyah in 1981. She is from the Jaff tribe and attended primary and secondary school in Sulaymaniyah.
Viyan Soran was dissatisfied with the social system of her region, and she often spoke out against the corrupt mentality that tried to take away women’s will from them. After searching for answers to the questions that always occupied her mind, she decided to join the ranks of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 1997.
Viyan needed new methods to resolve the conflicts that were brewing in her mind about the family and the tribal system in which she lived. She did not see a way to reach social realities in the education system, and needed to seek alternative methods.
Viyan Soran enthusiastically participates in the life and activities of revolutionary women and, as a result of her research, chooses the path of revolution and eventually joins the ranks of the guerrilla forces.
Viyan Soran and her sister joined the Apoci movement in 1997, but her family opposed her decision. Her family tried in every way to dissuade her from this decision. Her family even tried to put pressure on the party leaders to return their daughter. However, the leaders asked the family to try to convince their daughter to return instead of demanding her return. Viyan’s response to the family was: “I will not return with you under any circumstances. I will go where I will fulfill my desire for freedom.”
Viyan reached a high level of struggle and research after joining the ranks of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Despite her young age, she had a mature personality, which later allowed her to take over the leadership of Southern Kurdistan affairs. She later assumed important duties and responsibilities in the administration of the Apoci movement.
In 1998, Viyan Soran joined the Southern Kurdistan Conference and participated in the Eastern Kurdistan Conference held in the Qandil region in 2000, which paved the way for her to start organizing in Eastern Kurdistan. In a short time, she managed to win the hearts of her people and play a historical role.
Viyan Soran was elected as a founding member of the Democratic Solution Movement, and in 2002, she attended the first conference of the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party and was appointed as a member of the party’s office.
Viyan Soran participated in the activities of establishing the People’s Congress (KCK) in 2003 and played a major role in serving the people of southern and eastern Kurdistan, especially on issues of people’s and women’s freedom. Viyan Soran set herself on fire and became a martyr on February 1, 2006 in Haftanin to protest the isolation and pressure on Abdullah Öcalan.
