She was born on 23 June 1988 in a village of Bugulu, Dersim province. She is from Dersim region, has been Kurdish by nationality and Alevi by confesion.
She is the cousin of Fidan Kalsen, female revolutionary and political prisoner who set herself on fire on 19 December 2000 to prevent the prison massacre.
She studied international relations at the Kocaeli University, northwest Turkey.
Elif Sultan grew up among revolutionaries. She has relatives who martyred. She gave many reasons why she became a revolutionary: because she was from Dersim, because she was a Kurd, an Alevite, because among the fallen martyrs were many of her relatives. And the most important reason: Fidan Kalsen.
When she studied at the Kocaeli University in 2007-2010, she started to be active in the youth association. The first revolutionary teacher of her was Hasan Selim Gönen. In 2010 she was active in Istanbul.
In 2010, she was detained in the youth association in Kocaeli and imprisoned afterwards. Until June 2012 she was in Bakirköy women’s prison. Shortly after her release she was arrested again in another raid on 18 January 2013.
After her release from Bakirköy prison on 27 March 2014, she said: “The movement is my humanity, the meaning of my efforts, my life, makes life meaningful, my honor. That is how I see it.
For me, the movement means justice. All injustices, massacres, enforced dishonor, life without an identity, hunger, misery, lack of love; it is the one force that demands account for it. It is the power of the people, trust, all the virtues of humanity. Because of the Party I am the man I am today. For all these beauties I could sacrifice myself without hesitation.”
The whole of Turkey could see on Taksim Square how Elif Sultan Kalsen demanded account without hesitation from the enemies of the people who forbid our people to take thee squares. Just like in front of the torture center on Vatan Street(Istanbul police’s headquarters). And our people will continue to see in the fighters of the FRONT the sacrifice of Sultan Kalsen, just as without hesitation. Until the liberation.
This is Elif Sultan Kalsen’s appeal to the Kurdish people:
“I am a Kurdish woman, a fighter on the front. My cousin Fidan Kalsen has also sacrificed himself for the liberation of all the peoples of Turkey. When she set on fire herself for her people and her comrades, she formed her fingers into the Victory sign.
This is still remembered by everyone. What an honor for our people to have such heroins.
Two of my relatives martyred in the ranks PKK(The Worker’s Party of Kurdistan). The Kurdish people have tens of thousands martyrs and are now facing elimination. The agreement with the fascist AKP will never bring a solution. Is the current process is not clear? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says there is no Kurdish problem. With this, he has returned to the policy of annihilation, assimilation and denial. So it is clear that a “solution” with the understanding of the Kurdish people within this system is not possible.
Our Kurdish people: The solution, no matter if Kurd or Turk is not in the different organisation.
The solution lies in the common organisation against imperialism and its collaborators. The solution lies in the common organisation of the Turks, Kurds, Lazs, Cherkesz, all the peoples of Turkey. The Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) is the revolutionary organization of all peoples of Turkey.
Let’s expand the struggle.”
