ISTANBUL - Yusuf Kurtay, father of HPG's Isa Kurtay who lost his life in a chemical weapon attack, said: "When they told me, I died with them. Why is everyone spectating?" 

 

It was announced that 11 HPG and YJA-Star members lost their lives due to the use of chemical weapons in the attacks on Zap, Metîna and Avaşîn regions in the Federated Kurdistan Region of Turkey. The statement made on December 27 also included the identity information of those who lost their lives. The number of HPG and YJA-Star members who lost their lives as a result of the use of chemical weapons increased to 55 with the names announced recently.

 

Isa Kurtay (Sefkan Adar) is one of those mentioned in the last statement. Kurtay, who was born in 1983 in Nerzivan village of Îdir's Qulp (Tuzluca) district, immigrated to Istanbul with his family in 1994. After his brother Muhammed Kurtay died in the Kobanê resistance in 2016, Kurtay visited Kobanê, said that he would go and visit the place where my brother was martyred; however, on the way back, he was arrested in Urfa and sent to prison. He joined the PKK on January 10, 2019 after his release.

 

Kurtay's father, Yusuf Kurtay, spoke about his son's struggle and chemical attacks.

 

'KURTAY DIDN'T ACCEPT THE OPPRESSION'

 

Stating that his son had been fighting against injustice throughout his life, father Kurtay said: "He would never accept the insult made to him. He always protects people and shares his life with them. But if someone injures him, he would fight for his rights. He never insulted and hurted anyone. He was a very hardworking person. He went to Kobane in 2016, but he did not come. A policeman called from a police station in Urfa and said that he was in their hands. He spent 2-2 and a half years in prison. He was on a hunger strike in prison for 91 days. He became very ill after the hunger strike. When he was released and came home, he was very weak and devastated. We took him to a private hospital, he took medicine. After that, he stayed at home for 3 months, and left on January 10, 2019. İsa experienced the injustice. He did not accept cruelty and insult. Kurtay didn't accept the oppression. Whatever he experienced in prison, whatever remained in his mind, he chose to join the PKK."

 

'I DIED WITH THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN CHEMICAL WEAPONS'

 

Noting that they never heard from his son after he joined the PKK, Kurtay said: "I did not look at news channels for a long time in order not to receive any sad news about my son. We learnt that İsa and his 11 friends were martyred from chemicals, it was as if I died with those who lost their lives ın chemical weapons. I could not accept my son's death by chemical weapons. It was so hard for me. How are they using these forbidden things against these people? Where are the human rights, why is everyone spectating? I have been following the public debates on the use of chemical weapons for a long time. They arrested Şebnem Korur Fincancı, President of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) and it is a crime. This should be investigated. It should not be a crime that someone said that chemical weapons should be investigated.``