Zilan Kinaci, born in Malatya in 1972, graduated from Inonu University with a degree in psychology. She was married. Zilan voluntarily joined the Kurdish liberation movement. Although she worked professionally, she refused to lead a normal life while her homeland and country were under the yoke of colonialism and slavery, and her people suffered injustice and oppression.
Comrade Zilan, “Zeynep Kinaci,” carried out a suicide attack against a Turkish enemy base on June 30 1996, the first in the history of the Kurdish liberation movement. At that time, she had only been a fighter for one year. This operation was carried out as a countermeasure to the attack on Abdullah Ocalan, in May 1996 operation by the fascist Turkish state which aimed his assassination in Damascus. She carried out her operation in the center of the city of Dersim against Turkish military forces during the flag-raising ceremony. She was loaded with eight kilograms of TNT and two hand grenades. She pretended to be pregnant in order to successfully carry out her operation at the target location. Comrade Zilan’s operation spread great fear among the ranks of the all-powerful Turkish army, as it was the first operation of its kind. Those who put up great resistance went down in history. In her message to the Kurdish people and the public, Martyr Zilan said: “In the history of every nation, there are important events that changed its destiny, such as the French Revolution, the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, and the Islamic Revolution. In the history of our nation, these events will also have significant repercussions and influence the course of human history. Just as in the history of every nation, leaders emerged who shaped history, such as Alexander the Great, these leaders became pioneers and were able to revive important stages in the history of their people and humanity through their practical actions. If we look at the history of Kurdistan, we will find that this history has been recorded in a way that contradicts the reality of the Kurds. It is a history that was headed for collapse and turned upside down. The Kurdish people played an important role among the nations and had great historical significance during the era of primitive communalism and slavery. However, after Persian rule, they lost their freedom and could not free their will from the clutches of Free themselves from the ruling powers. The Kurds have lived under the rule of various nationalities for millennia. Just as Kurdistan, as a homeland, has become a theater of war and struggle between different nationalities at every stage, and peoples have undergone a historical development appropriate to their situation and level, the Kurdish people followed this historical development late and have not been able to keep pace with it. This means that their social development has remained at its initial level. They have organized several uprisings to win the freedom of their homeland, but due to a lack of leadership or internal betrayal and lack of organization, all these uprisings have fizzled out. Zilan continued her message: “This historic descent into the abyss ended with the official announcement of the founding of the PKK on November 27, 1978. The enemy attempted to turn Kurdistan into a peopleless country through massacres, killing thousands. More were eliminated through counter-attacks and so-called operations against unknown persons. The enemy attempted to terrorize those who remained alive, making them breathe the scent of death every minute and every second. All Kurdish people were tortured, and many of them came to interrogation alive and left dead. In this way, our people made great sacrifices.” Today, as the war has reached a very intense level, our PKK party has come closer to victory through its effective attacks, great determination, and strong development, and on this basis, it is growing stronger every day in the face of the all-out and far-reaching onslaught of the Turkish enemy. On the other hand, the guerrilla forces have developed into an army and inflicted decisive blows on the enemy forces. Our guerrilla, on the other hand, is expanding worldwide, organizing our people within its structure, exposing the enemy’s specific war strategy, taking its place in this war, and reaffirming the existence and strength of the Kurdish people.
With the proclamation of the Kurdish Parliament in the diaspora and the building of national alliances, our people are moving step by step toward greatness, and we are making great sacrifices as we face the brutal Turkish armed forces and the imperialist powers behind them. “As a people, for the first time in history, we have achieved such strength and developed such a great level of fighting spirit,” she added. “We have become people who love their land and are close to freedom. We walk this path with our heads held high. We now look into the face of humanity without fear or shame because we have begun to fight for our freedom. Our comrades who offered great resistance have become co-creators of their own history. They are the bearers of a great, legendary resistance, and each one of them represents a turning point on the path to victory in our war. These comrades are Mazlum, Kemal, Xairi, Ferhad, Zeki, Berivan, Beritan, and Ronahi. They offered great resistance and created a tradition of resistance that we wish to continue.” With her self-sacrificing act, Zilan Kinaci paved the way to freedom. Martyr Zilan added in her message: “On this basis, I wish to carry out this sacrificial operation. Out of my attachment and solidarity with our PKK party, our leadership Apo, my country, my people, and our comrades fighting for freedom in the mountains, I will confidently advance against the enemy, based on the strength and morale I have gained from my people through this operation. This extraordinary situation must not become the eternal fate of my people.”
