Guerrilla Serdar Batman died in Amed in the winter of 2020, said the Press Center of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) in a statement. “We remember our comrade and valuable Apoist militant Serdar Batman with respect and give our word to achieve his goals and keep his memory alive,” the HPG said, adding: “Guerrilla Serdar Batman fought with great conviction for the freedom of his people in Kurdistan and fell for it.”
The HPG expressed their condolences to his family and the Kurdish people, and gave the following information about the identity and life and struggle of Serdar Batman:
Code name: Serdar Batman
First and last name: Mehmet Çelik
Place of birth: Batman (Êlih)
Names of mother and father: Miyase – Elyas
Date and place of death: 2020 / Amed
Serdar Batman was born in Batman (Êlih) and grew up in an environment close to the PKK. He had a strong awareness of his Kurdish identity and became acquainted with state repression and oppression at an early age. As a young Kurd, he was enthusiastic about the resistance of the guerrillas in the mountains and wanted to contribute to the fight for a life of freedom and dignity.
The final impetus for his decision to join the guerrillas was the fight for Kobanê against ISIS in autumn 2014. He went into the mountains in Garzan, and, after a short stay there, went to the Medya Defense Areas. The journey was difficult and risky, and Serdar was impressed by the camaraderie among the guerrillas. He compared these relationships with his early experiences under the capitalist system and was sure that he had made the right decision.
In the training program for new fighters, Serdar came to terms with his own personality and the concept of freedom and learned the basics of guerrilla warfare. In his subsequent practice, he successfully took on difficult tasks and always found solutions to problems that arose. In order to prepare for a mission in Bakur (North Kurdistan), he took part in a specialized military training course at his own suggestion. In a report justifying his decision, he wrote: “As Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] said, guerrilla warfare takes place around the clock. If you move away from it for just one hour a day, you can take a big hit. We still insist on the classic way. You can mislead the enemy by making unexpected and never-before-made moves in war. In other words, by doing what is least expected. A guerrilla must be able to recreate life.”
Source: ANF News