The KCK Ecology Committee released a written statement regarding the fire that broke out in Mount Abidar (Avyer mountains) in Sanandaj (Sine) in Rojhilat on the night of July 25.
The statement commemorating environmental defender Hamid Muradi (Hemid Muradî), who lost his life while trying to extinguish the fire, said: “On the night of July 25, approximately 20 hectares of forest and wooded land burned in the Sine region mountains. While trying to put out the fire, Kurdish environmental defender Hemid Muradî lost his life, and four others were injured. As the KCK Ecology Committee, we offer our condolences to Hamid Muradi’s family and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”
The statement continued: “In recent years, numerous forest fires have been caused in Rojhilat by both state policies and profiteering individuals or groups. Environmental defenders in Rojhilat have continuously resisted and struggled against these fires. Many have been arrested during these struggles, and some have been killed. One of them was Şerif Bacor. Şerif Bacor and three of his comrades died while trying to extinguish a fire in the Merîwan mountains. Şerif Bacor became a symbol of the environmental struggle in Rojhilat. Hemid Muradî followed in Şerif Bacor’s footsteps and gave his life to protect Kurdistan’s nature. While many people today leave their country in search of a better life and die at borders in the process, Hemid Muradî sacrificed his life so that his country’s forests and nature would not burn. This is a deeply honorable and valuable act.”
The statement added: “Therefore, we consider Hamid Muradi a martyr of Kurdistan’s environmental struggle. Şerif Bacor and Hamid Muradi must always be remembered as pioneers of the environmental movement. The struggle for the environment and nature is a struggle of patriotism. As Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] stated, the deepest meaning of patriotism is defending nature. To honor the memory of Hamid Muradi and Şerif Bacor, the environmental struggle must be expanded. This struggle should not be limited to a few comrades. The nature of an ecological society must be brought to the forefront. Environmental defenders must collectively protect water, land, trees, and forests against statist policies, oppressive systems, and capitalist capital, and serve a democratic society.”
Source: ANF News
