Nalîn Amed (Netîce Katar), who fell a martyr in the PKK ranks, used to reject the pleas of her whole family to stop lying on the ground and sleep on a mattress instead shortly before she set out to join the ranks of the PKK, and bequeathed her well-kept and inscribed diary, in which she vowed to avenge her uncle who had been murdered in 1992 by the Turkish state, to her family before heading to the mountains.

Guerrilla Netîca Katar (Nalîn Amed), who was martyred on the 7th March in a clash against the Turkish army that took place in Amed's Lice district, was interred by the state without informing her family in the cemetery of the unknown in Yeniköy of Bağlar. Following the family's application for an identification test and the positive DNA results, the family opened her grave and had her buried in the same cemetery but on a different spot.

Family members, who talked to ANF on Nalîn Amed said that before joining the PKK ranks she wrote down every moment minutely in her diary and kept on vowing to avenge her uncle who had been murdered in 1992 by Turkish state's contra units. Nalîn's mother Rindê Katar said that her daughter never slept on mattresses, but only on the cold floor. At first they did not understand the reason for this behaviour, but after she became a guerrilla they finally comprehended.

"SHE SWORE ON HER UNCLE WHOM THE STATE WANTED TO MAKE A VILLAGE GUARD"

Rindê Katar stated that when they had been living in their village Hewrê (Yayık) in Amed’s Kulp (Pasûr) district, the Turkish state exerted nonstop pressure on them to become village guards, telling: "We were in very bad situations and conditions. In the village we were able to make a living to some point. But the state forced us to become village guards, and because we did not accept that, we had no other option than to leave the village for good."

Katar said that as her brother did not accept to become a village guard either, he was murdered by the state's contra units, adding: "At the time of my brother's murder, my daughter was two years old. Years after, when my daughter finally came to understand what had happened, she used to say to never simply accept the killing her uncle and vowed to take revenge for him."

"SHE NEVER SLEPT ON A MATTRESS"

Katar explained that she herself had not the slightest idea that her daughter was actually planning on joining the guerrilla, yet had some light suspicions, and continued: "Because I was ill, she never said even one word that could have hurt me. Sometimes I put her really through the mill, but she still would not say me anything. Instead she would afterwards come and hug me, pleasing me. I said to her: 'Even if you blind me, I will never get angry on you', and I kissed her."

Katar said: "My daughter never slept on a mattress. I always said to her: 'My daughter, sweetheart, why are you sleeping on the ground, go sleep on your bed'. But she would not listen at all. At first I did not think much about it. But after she joined the guerrilla I finally understood that she was sleeping on the hard floor in order to prepare herself for the conditions on the mountains." Mother Katar said that Nalîn was planning in fact for a very long time to become a guerrilla.

"SHE LIVED 9 YEARS ON THE MOUNTAINS"

Katar told that on a day she went to relatives for a visit, her daughter clandestinely joined the PKK ranks without telling them anything, but after becoming a guerrilla Nalîn used to write regularly to her family. Katar recalled how Nalîn kissed the little kids of their neighbours heartily telling them: 'I might not see you ever again', and said that her daughter spent altogether nine years on the mountains.

"THE DAY I BURIED MY DAUGHTER, WAS THE DAY OF HER WEDDING"

Katar stated that she learned of her daughter's martyrdom only after 40 days had passed and was informed on top of that that she was interred secretly in the cemetery of the nameless. Only after putting up a big struggle, they could retrieve finally her daughter's body. Katar said that because she knows where her daughter is buried she feels some easiness, adding that the day she buried her daughter she performed the henna ritual during the funeral ceremony. Mother Katar conveyed to have had some dreams for her daughter and feels pain as those wishes will forever remain unfulfilled, but the day of her daughter's funeral was at the same time the day of her wedding.

The elegy she sang, mother Katar recalls as follows:

"I said it is my daughter's wedding, dear mother don't cry

My darling said I will spend now all time with my mother

I told you, child, your mother's heart is heavy of longing, your mother shall die for you child, you walked on those mountains

I told you, dear, walking on the Metîna mountain

I told you, my heart, do not come to Turkey, woe to me

I said, my beloved sweetheart, your mother has gone blind, I will come to you, I miss you so much

This longing is lying heavy on your mother's heart

She sent me greetings saying, mother come visit me on the feast of sacrifice

But the path was closed, I could not go, so heavy lies this longing on my heart

Have I shamed my daughter, oh your mother shall die for you

I will not cry, oh no, I will not cry

Condolences to the people of Kurdistan

Condolences to the guerrillas

Condolences to my leader and shall my leader come to us happy and fortunate

Hold a meeting, my girl, and bring peace, oh shall your mother die for you

Sweetheart, my daughter was calling for her mother

Sweetheart, I did not know that eight months was she looking for her mother

She went to Lice, oh my darling

And did not greet nor did she lament in those 40 days, oh your mother shall die for you

When I buried her, she said 'dear mother, this is for my mother'

Darling, I said rest in peace eternally in heaven

You are the bride of the family

She said 'Mother you are strong, and I am proud of you.'

"SHE ALWAYS CELEBRATED THE BIRTHDAYS OF ALL CHILDREN"

Nalîn's elder sister Xecê stated to have grown up with Nalîn and had been each other’s sisters as well as best friends, noting: "We shared even our clothes". Xecê explained that her younger sister Nalîn was way more interested in political and social issues than she herself, and the martyrdom of her uncle left a very deep impact on her.

Xecê said that before joining the guerrilla ranks, Nalîn was constantly engaged in youth activities together with her cousin, adding: "They were always together since childhood, and both joined the ranks at different times. We were very close, but she never told us that she was about to go. She did not let us know at all. She used to have a diary, in which she literally wrote down everything that happened. She hid that diary from us. But the day she went, she left behind that diary for us and we read it afterwards."

Xecê told that her sister Nalîn was very much attached to children and in order to make the kids happy she did all she could, continuing: "Children were very dear to Nalîn and she celebrated the birthdays of all kids she knew, baking birthday cakes for them. The happiness of the children filled her with mirth. If you take a look at her photographs, you will see her only smile, and you will get an idea of how much Nalîn loved laughter and happiness."

"HER VOICE MERGES THE LOVE AND FREEDOM OF KURDISTAN"

Katar said that Nalîn's voice was of a special beauty, but they unfortunately did not have the opportunity to listen to it much when she was still with them, now they listen to her voice in the videos that have emerged afterwards on the internet. When listening to Nalîn's voice, Katar said, a sound that comes from the deep heart of the mountains penetrates the skin, adding: "Her voice is merging the love and freedom of Kurdistan."

"SHE WAS A VERY POLITE CHILD"

Hediye Ay, the wife of Nalîn's uncle who had been martyred in 1992, said: "Nalîn was like my own daughter, she joined the guerrilla together my daughter anyway. When we were still in the village, she always used to play together with my daughter, she was a very polite and nice child."

"SHE ATTENDED THE MARTYRS’ FUNERALS ALWAYS AHEAD OF US ALL"

Nalîn's elder cousin Saadet Aydemir said that at those times when she raised her little children, Nalîn played an important role as she used to take her of the kids each time she fell ill or was otherwise not capable. Aydemir recalled that when in 2006 the martyrs were buried, Nalîn went ahead of all to the funeral. She was, Aydemir explained, very active in the youth activities back then.

Aydemir stated that the news of Nalîn's martyrdom had a grave impact on her, saying: "We grieve for all our martyrs without distinction, they are all our martyrs. But Nalîn had a special place in my life, and therefore I felt enormous pain. I still cannot grasp the fact that she fell a martyr."

"THE PKK IS A PARTY OF MARTYRS"

Aydemir said that the PKK is a party of martyrs and recalled the moments they buried Nalîn with following words: "Before departing to the cemetery I was upright to say farewell to her with singing words. But when I saw her body covered in blood, I simply could not. I cannot express the feelings and emotions that overpowered me at that moment."