One of the many women who burned their bodies as a Newroz bonfire protesting the isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan was Elefteria Fortulaki. On March 24 2006, Elefteria poured gasoline on herself and set herself on fire in Aios Agios Milanos Church in Atina.

 

Elefteria who was taken to hospital, lost her life on March 27 despite all efforts to keep her alive. Elefteria who was married to a Kurd named Şiwan, had two children named Ernesto (2) and Clara (1).

 

Elefteria, a mother of two, a 23-year-old woman, represented a first in the world in the Kurdish struggle with her action. Elefteria who blamed Greece to have the main share in the international conspiracy against Öcalan in which he was captured and delivered to Turkey, expressed her reaction against her country with her action.Understanding that Öcalan's women's freedom paradigm encompassed women and peoples of the world at that time, Elefteria frequently emphasized this in her letter she left behind

 

Elefteria who said 'No one can take away our sun' in her letter about Öcalan, stating that she did what she did out of love for life not for war, said: "The freedom of the Kurdish people and President Apo is the freedom of all peoples."

 

I LOVE KURDISTAN AS MY HOMELAND'

 

Elefteria explained why she carried out her action in her letter and said: "My friends, the reason I chose to carry out this action; Heval (Comrade) Rohat set his body on fire gere couple of years ago. My mother tells me I don't love Greece and that's why I speak Kurdish. Mom. I love Greece. This is my homeland. But I love Kurdistan as my homeland too. I love Greek but I love Kurdish as my mothertongue. Mother, mom, the brotherhood of the peoples is such a beautiful thing. The Kurdish people are fighting for the brotherhood of the peoples. They want their right to their mothertongue and their right for education. They want to live a humane life. That's why my beloved mother, the powers that divided Kurdistan in four, are killing them. There is a department of Greek Language and Culture in the university. But the Kurds don't have that. Our children must be bilangual mother. Their mother is Greek and their father is Kurdish.They are fifty percent Greek and fifty percent Kurdish."

 

"I am celebrating Newroz a little bit too late this year like Zekiye Alkan, Sema Yüce, Ronahi, Berivan and Rahşan Demirel and like those who went down in flames. Their determination glorified the Kurds and Kurdistan. They glorified the history of the Kurds."

 

Her husband and children who continued their lives in Greece, spoke to Mesopotamia Agency 14 years after her death.

 

Şiwan Otsal who started speaking by saying 'he is bowing respectfully before those who set their bodies on the fire of Newroz' and celebrated the Newroz of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, the Kurdish people and the political prisoners.

 

Yunanistan’da yaşamaya devam eden eşi ve çocukları, Elefteria Fortulaki’nin yaşamını yitirmesinin 14’üncü yılında Mezopotamya Ajansı'na konuştu.  

 

LIFE WITHOUT ELEFTERIA WAS HARD

 

Otsal who stated that he kept living in Greece with his children working as a translator, said: "Life was hard without my comrade, the mother of my children Elefteria. We tried to get used to it. I took care of the children after her action. I tried very hard to educate them. I was a father and a mother to them."

 

Desciribing the charachter of his wife, Otsal said: "She was a simple person. She was very curious about the Kurdish people and PKK's history. She never accepted the policy of denial, destruction and injustice policy imposed on the Kurdish people. She was very reactive about this. The young people going to the mountains to join PKK effected her deeply."

 

'SHE STARTED SPEAKING KURDISH IN 6 MONTHS'

 

Otsal, stating that Elefteria was very interested in understanding the Kurdish people, said she learned the language and the history in 6 months.

 

Explaining that the actions of the Kurdish youth effected Elefteria deeply, Otsal said: "I believe she has achieved her goal. Today, everyone anywhere in the world talks about her action. Elefteria considered Newrox as the uprising and the resistance of the Kurdish people."

 

HER CHILDREN: BERXWEDAN JIYAN E

 

Elefteria's daughter Clara is 15 and her son Ernesto is 16 today. Clara and Ernesto who know their mother from what their father told them about and her letter, said: "Our father tells us about her a lot. We miss her very much with what we know from our father. We greet everyone with respect and say 'Berxwedan Jiyan E' (To live is to resist).

 

 

MA / Semra Turan