Özgür Namoğlu

Özgür Namoğlu was born in 1994 in the Turkish city of İzmir to parents
who themselves were revolutionaries and communists. He spent most of
his youth living in illegality
together with his mother and her comrades and later continued to live
with relatives during his education. In 2008, at the age of 14 he moved to
Europe and just one year later started to organize as a communist. His
illegality in his childhood and the close connection to communist party
work made him aware to organize himself and he began working in
communist Antifascist organizations such as “Rote Antifa” (Red Antifa).
Around the time the Gezi protests were happening in Turkey, Özgür also
joined Young Struggle in our Dortmund Chapter and put hard work into
organizing our summer camps as well as Antifascist work in the Ruhr
region of Germany. His love and admiration for the Rojava Revolution
increased after Serkan Tosun had become the first immortal of the fight
for freedom in Rojava from the ranks of the Marxist Leninist communist
Party – MLKP and from then on Özgür went to every protest in solidarity
with Rojava and organized many himself. After the death of Yasemin Çiftçi,
Özgür wanted to become part of the armed revolutionary movement but
put that thought to the back of his head as he believed he could not do so
due to a medical condition on his arm. However, when Ivana Hoffmann a
young woman from Duisburg not far from Dortmund also became immortal
in the struggle to defend the revolution and the internationalist and
revolutionary forces were victorious in Kobanê, this situation changed. In
2015 Özgür joined the International Brigades of the International
Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations (ICOR) which
helped to build a hospital in Kobanê. Shortly after, in the same year, he
decided that he would return, overcome the injury on his arm and get
surgery so that he could join the armed resistance against fascism in
Rojava. In Rojava he worked for the construction of the Şengül-Boran
Academy in which he became a teacher and commander, training new
fighters and commanders for the defense of the revolution. On the 3rd of
January 2023 he became immortal together with Zeki Gürbüz, one of the
communist leaders of the MLKP, after a targeted drone strike against Zeki
by the fascist Turkish state.
In his youth Özgür was known as a shy but determined comrade who did
not like attention but helped his comrades whenever they needed it. With
his growing interest in the Rojava Revolution he became more outgoing,
being the loudest in chants in support of Rojava. And when he joined the
Revolution, Özgür became a guerilla who himself became a new human –
outgoing, pro active and a leader and inspiration for those around him. As
his comrades from Young Struggle Özgür is an inspiration for all of us. His
determination to join revolutionary organizations already in his youth and
his hard work within them, be it in international solidarity, antifascist work
or organizing our own summercamps significantly contributed to the
building of our organization. This same determination which is reflected in
Özgürs will to overcome what had seemed to be impossible challenges,
formed his revolutionary limitlessness. Özgürs development from a shy yet
determined young man to a revolutionary new man who was a teacher,
leader and friend is exemplary to all of us.
Özgür Namoglu is immortal!
Şehîd namirin!