16 Facts About Hevrin Khalaf

Hevrin Khalaf was a Kurdish-Syrian politician and civil engineer.

Hevrin Khalaf was executed by Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sharqiya fighters near the M4 Motorway south of Tell Abyad during the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, on 12 October.

Early in her life, Hevrin Khalaf was exposed to political movements and thinkers.

Hevrin Khalaf graduated from University of Aleppo in 2009 as a civil engineer.

Hevrin Khalaf rose to prominence in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

Hevrin Khalaf was one of the founders of the Foundation for Science and Free Thought in 2012.

Hevrin Khalaf participated in negotiations with the United States, France, and other delegations.

Hevrin Khalaf worked towards increasing tolerance and unity among Christians, Arabs, and Kurds.

Hevrin Khalaf personified the way the FSP and the Syrian Democratic Council approached the many differences among the people of the region.

Hevrin Khalaf was one of a number of civilians who were killed during the first days of the Turkish-backed military operation, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting that "nine civilians were executed at different moments south of the town of Tal Abyad".

Hevrin Khalaf's death was one of many during Operation Peace Spring, which began on 9 October 2019.

Furthermore, Hevrin Khalaf was dragged by her hair which caused it to tear off along with bits of flesh.

Hevrin Khalaf was then shot in the head once and four more times in her chest.

Kurdish analyst Mutlu Civiroglu, told The Guardian that Hevrin Khalaf's death was a "great loss", and described her as having "a talent for diplomacy".

Hevrin Khalaf's funeral was held in Al-Malikiyah on 14 October 2019.

In January 2020, the BBC's Arabic service published an investigation into the death of Hevrin Khalaf which found that a sub-group of the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army, Ahrar al-Sharqiya, had extrajudiciarily murdered Khalaf on the M4 Motorway, at the Tirwaziya checkpoint.