cited from Helwist Website-periodical Kurdish publication
translated by: Rebwar Fakhri:
This text is an unpublished letter and originally is the mournful letter of the human right activist and executed teacher Farzad Kamangar. The letter was named the return of Swallows. He wrote this letter for his friend Farzad Qobadi. We have known each other through the internet from approximately 2004-2005. In that time his nickname was Siamand the same name that he had chosen for his literature writings.We had met each other only one time in Mahabad while he had come back from mountains of Salmas to see his brother Sherzad Kamangar who is guerilla. He had returned with knapsack of memoires and sweet words.
After he came back to Kirmashah, our relationship continued. He introduced to me some of his friends. As a member of Defending Kurdish Human Rights Organization he had sent a lot of news about violating human rights in Kamıyaran, Oraman and Kirmashah and other part of Kurdistan. After being captured our relation was made by phone.
The first letter which he read it to me and he wanted me to publish it in the internet with a secret name of “Rebin Mamo Zagros”, its name was the “Return of swallows”. Farzad wrote this letter to his friend Farzad Qobadi known with Horam Jiyan. Horam (born in Shahini one of the countryside of Kamayaran) was one of his friends which worked in a pastry in Kirmanshah . Before he joined to the Kurdish Geurilla organization he was under the pressure of Iranian intelligence service of Kirmanshah.
Thereafter Horam joined to Qandil and then he went to Shaho Mountains. He went from Shaho for clandestine political activity to Javanrood, Paveh, Kirmanshan and
Kamyaran. In his last activity at 5-1-2008 when he was going back to the Shaho, the security guards found out about his identity and in a Control security on the road of Kamyaran to Rawansar he falled in an ambush, and in the time of his armed defense, he injured, captured and immediately were taken to Kirmashan Intelligence Services. Farzad said that Horam was beaten very badly and even they captured his sister’s family and hit his nephew very badly. At that night in front of his sister
the injured Farzad was tortured and shot.
Farzad which was one of the best friends of Horams, told me that they promised to each other that each person should take the path in his own way to freedom and everyone in this path was killed, the other should continue the battle with a stronger will.
They promised to each other that everyone should welcome to his death with smile, and regard the death as a long journey and at that time they only should say this sentence: “Have a good trip my friend”.
Farzad read this text to me by phone from Rajaee Shahr prison. Because of his bad situation and the sensitivity of his case, he couldn’t publish it with his real name. So he wanted me to publish this letter with the nickname of “Rebin Mamo Zagros” in the websites. It is worth noting that “Rebin” was the nickname of “Nsir Qadirzade” one of the martyr of PKK guerilla which was born in Mahabad. And “Mamo” was the nickname of another martyr in the name of Akif Mamo Zagros. he was from Boukan. Farzad loved those two martyrs like other freedom fighters. Then from the mixture of these two nicknames he chose Rebin Mamo Zagros. Even he named his nephew Rebin.
This letter was published in Rojhilat and Halvest websites. At that time Khalil Gazali was manager of Halvest website and because I trusted him, i told him about this fact that Farzad Kamangar is the writer of this jeremiad and if it would be necessary, I will announce it one day. Unfortunately this day came after his execution.
The Return Of swallows:
For martyr Howram and all of his green ambitions, My brother, my blood, when you got to the moon write about the massacre of the flowers. You were simple and honest like your birthplace “Shahini”. You kept the years of hardships of being orphan and worker in yourself, those time that you were working in pastry in Kirmashan and in every celebration you give the smile and sweetness in the empty tables of the people. And you wished so much to bring bread to the empty tables of the people. You always had a smile on your face and restless to go. Always you were talking about moving, travelling.
I didn’t know as such that I should know, because you didn’t give me the opportunity to know you. You leave so early that yet the yearning of just one plenty visit of you remains in my heart. You wished to unite all fires for Newroz. And then you wished to see Swallows in the sky so eagerly that possibly it is the last fly of the swallows. Perhaps it is not any future for flying. Every spring you were waiting for their coming back and every autumn you were worried by their migration.
From swallows you had learned journey and movement, and from fire you had learned existence and generosity… and in day the autumn, with the migration of swallows, you also chose the way of mountain and “Free Life”
You knew that for reaching to the pick, to the summit, to the Qandil, should pass from Shahos.
Your mom, at that night that you left, had a dream of a swallow that left her hug and went to the mountain. She knew that her son, who was always in journey, is going to have a long journey, a journey with no way of coming back. From the evening of that autumn, your mother instead of stirring to the road and waiting to the person to pass the labyrinth ways of village, she stir to the snowy Shaho, and was waiting for the return of swallows.
You had the impeccability of your childhood, that you went through the white snow. You remained on the white snow the red trace of yourself to the foot of the mountain, the trace that no one can erase it. You still had the thousands of unsaid, that you sacrifice yourself for our land, completely unknown, like your land, that it is not painted in any map but exist…
The unknown soldier of our land, you still had thousands of potential smiles on your face, but you put the regret of seeing your smiley face on the heart of your mother and sisters. We still have thousands of words to say to each other. But you put all of them to the practice before saying any words.
Have a good journey my fellow traveler.
Have a good journey “Haval”.
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* Shahini is one of the villages in Kamyaran which is the birthplace of Farzad Qobadi (Horam Zhiyan)
** this words means “Free Life” and meanwhile it means “PJAK”
***”Haval” means friend in Kurdish language and it is one of the idioms between Kurdish guerrillas.
