"A young, energetic and dynamic man, transformed into an eagle, flies to liberty... he spreads out his wings and glides over the peaks of the high mountains of Bethnahrin down to the valleys and plains to Urhoy, Hassana and Midyat… he rests on the banks of the Tigris and looks upon Babylon and Nineveh, which conquer his heart for eternity. This affectionate heart, he has sacrificed for his people and his beloved homeland. His name… Mihayel Cudi!"



Mihayel, called Cudi by his friends, was born on 2 February 1971, to parents Mesut and Hana in the village of Hassana, close to the Turkey’s border with Iraq. In 1978, when Cudi was 7 years old, his family fled increasing oppression and discrimination to settle in the Netherlands. He completed his primary and secondary schooling and then moved on to College. After his graduation he attended the police academy for 5 years, finishing successfully. In 1994 Cudi was recognized and introduced officially as a policeman in the Netherlands. He was one of the first of our people in the Netherlands to choose an occupation in the national service area. Above all, Cudi ranked among the pioneers in his job as policeman.



Although he lived far away from the events and traditions of his people, his heart was always with his people and his homeland. Thus he did not hesitate, after he heard in 1994 of a new movement within his people, to get into contact with the Dawronoye (revolutionaries). At the end of 1996 Cudi became a sympathizer of the Mesopotamia Freedom Party (GHB), which was at that time still an organization. In 1997 a stronger sense of responsibility for his people awakened within him. For this reason Cudi quit his job as a policeman and, instead of that, aspired to be more active for the Patriotic Revolutionary Organization of Bethnahrin (PROB). Since his home was in Amsterdam, his first activities were in the regional area of this metropolis. He later expanded his activities and obligations to the whole of the Netherlands.



In the beginning of 1998 Michayel Cudi decided to become a professional cadre of the organization and in the summer of the same year he visited the homeland, together with a group of reporters from Dutch television, in order to do a documentary on the Suryoye in Turabdin. But after some days there, he became very sick due to the strong heat and the climate. As it was the first time in 20 years that he had seen his homeland, Cudi absolutely wanted to visit his village Hassana. His intentions and his longings, however, were defeated by the Turkish military, which did not let him visit the village and he returned to Europe very disappointed. As a representative of the PROB, Cudi went to Iran to take part in the congress of the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) in November 1998. There he was able to see the possibilities for our people in the near future and to become more conscious of our national situation. After his return from Iran Cudi was give different tasks and positions in the organization. Hence he was active in many parts of Germany, Belgium and Holland for the party within the public. Mihayel Cudi participated in March 1999 in the first organizational national conference of the PROB and there decided to return to the homeland. After many detours, Cudi arrived on 1 May in the mountains of Bethnahrin and there, within his heart, he celebrated his reunion with his homeland.



Passing through systematic military education in the homeland increasingly strengthened Cudi’s abilities within the military arena. Thus he was designated, after a very short time, to be in charge of 10 guerilla-fighters (Manga). After the termination of the military formation, Cudi was later entrusted with other functions. In cities such as Sulaymaniya and Mosul (Nineveh) Mihayel Cudi worked successfully in the field of public relations. Cudi then returned in December 2001 to the military headquarters of the party, in order to help with the winter preparations. At the same time he participated in military and political training.



In the early morning of 11 January 2002 a group under the control of Mihayel Cudi was sent to a village, which was not that far away, in order to get some needed logistics. As they began to haul their loads upon their backs and climb the mountains again to return, the climate was the mild winter weather they were used to. Later, however, within a short time, the clouds began to get denser. By the time they reached the top of the mountain-pass a snowstorm caught Mihayel Cudi and his two companions by surprise. This violent tempest caused them to lose their way and obstructed their sight. Laboriously, the three comrades tried to fight through the meter-high snowfalls. The ice-cold winds of the high Kandil Mountain Range whipped repeatedly onto their faces, causing the body temperatures of the three to gradually drop and thus, ever more, their limbs began to freeze.



About 1 km from their destination the three sank powerless into the snow and, with their last breath of strength, they succeeded in radioing their headquarters, to tell them of the emergency. Immediately a group of guerillas was sent from the base to help them. Cudi, who had lost one of his shoes during the heavy march, was therefore powerless without noticing this and froze ever more quickly as he struggled through the snow. By the time the guerilla search group arrived, Mihayel Cudi’s body had frozen completely, to the point of immobility. While the fast remedial measures taken for the lives of the two other comrades were successful, Mihayel Cudi died on the way – carried by a friend. The freedom fighter and political cadre of the GHB - Mihayel Cudi – became, on the evening of 11 January 2002, the party’s second martyr. On 13 January 2002 Mihayel Cudi was buried with full military honors, wrapped in the flag of the GHB, in the mountains of his homeland.



All his friends and all those who have loved and come to value him, knew Cudi as a cheerful, sincere and always responsible-minded human with a content smile and an even more content heart. Mihayel Cudi leaves behind his wife and his two young daughters... Ishtar and Ilona.





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