Kurdish women have launched a social media campaign following the circulation of a video showing a member of the Syrian interim government forces desecrating the body of a Women's Protection Units (YPJ) fighter in Syria.
The video shows a man, identified as Rami El Dehesh, holding a severed hair braid he claims belonged to a woman killed in the clashes between the interim government and the Kurdish groups in Syria's Raqqa earlier this month.
When asked why he cut the hair, El Dehesh replies, "She is gone, what will she do with it?" according to a translation provided by Channel 8, an outlet based in northern Syria.
In response, Kurdish and Ezidi women have shared videos of themselves braiding their hair using the hashtags #kezî (braid) and #KeziyênMeTirsaWe.
The clashes that began earlier this month resulted in the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) losing a significant portion of the territory it had controlled for years, which covered roughly a quarter of the Syrian territory.
MPs join protest
The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party deputies have joined the protest. The party's spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan braided her hair during a session at the parliament.
"This person is a member of the Syrian army. This person carries the ISIS mentality and was previously revealed to be an ISIS member," Doğan said during a broadcast on İlke TV. "When he gives the braid to his friend, he says it was her only intact part. This is an action that symbolizes challenging darkness through the leadership and courage of women."
DEM deputies Pervin Buldan and Meral Danış-Beştaş also joined the protest. They shared videos with the message, "Every loop of our hair strengthens our resistance."
The campaign has also gained support from the arts and civil society. Kurdish soprano Pervin Chakar and artist Dashni Murad shared solidarity messages. "When you cut one braid, we braid millions," Murad said in her video.
Human rights lawyer Eren Keskin, and the We Will Stop Femicide Platform also participated in the protest. Female news anchors on several television channels have appeared on air with braided hair to show solidarity.
VİDEO- DEM Partili Ayşegül Doğan TBMM'de saçlarını ördü#DEMParti #AyşegülDoğan #TBMM #örgüakımı #Kürt pic.twitter.com/9UoLUQT4JZ
— Kurdistan24 Türkçe (@K24Turkce) January 22, 2026
Her xeleka porên me berxwedan a me hêz dike…
— Pervin BULDAN (@PervinBuldan) January 22, 2026
Saçlarımızın her halkasıdirenişimizi güçlendiriyor…#JinJiyanAzadi #KeziyenMeTırsaWe pic.twitter.com/fssWkfK87T
Her xeleka porên me berxwedan a me hêz dike…
— Meral Danış Beştaş (@meraldanis) January 22, 2026
Saçlarımızın her halkası direnişimizi güçlendiriyor…#JinJiyanAzadi #keziyênmetirsawe pic.twitter.com/P7ylM6aHIV
#KeziyênMeTirsaWe pic.twitter.com/AdPVzvC8zO
— Feleknas Uca (@Feleknasuca) January 22, 2026
Ünlü Kürt soprano Pervin Chakar, saçlarını ördüğü bir videoyu şu notla paylaştı:
— Özge Perihan Hoşoğlu (@eylle_isyan) January 22, 2026
“Mücadele ruhuyla dolu olan Kürt halkımızın, kız kardeşlerimizin, onurlu annelerimizin ve cesur kadınlarımızın yanındayım." #Rojava pic.twitter.com/0ABQOK2YXh
İnsan hakları savunucusu Av. Eren Keskin de saç örme akımına katıldı.pic.twitter.com/O1yP7KzBTG
— Kevîn (@revoluttie) January 22, 2026
Saçlarımızın her halkası direnişimizi güçlendiriyor…#JinJiyanAzadi #KeziyenMeTırsaWe pic.twitter.com/MBj64csFRF
— Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (@kcdplatformu) January 22, 2026
(EMK/VK)
