In Memory of Zinar Koçer

This month, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have announced the death of French internationalist Zinar Koçer (Lorcan Charonnat). He went to Rojava in 2019 and died in Qamishli in 2020.

To our friend and comrade… Heval, whose hope and determination led him to fight for freedom, human rights, ecology, and many other values ​​that inspired him. Passionate about each new reading of Murray Bookchin and all the thoughts revolving around Democratic Confederalism, he was able to experience it in part. It took six long years to finally find words to the silence that haunted his parents, his family, his friends… We will likely never know the exact circumstances, but we know that it was thanks to him and his comrades that real hope existed in a region abandoned by the world to the clutches of terror. We will never forget his courage and will each and every one of us continue to fight for that same hope. Şehîd namirin.  

Friends of AKB

It is with profound sadness and deep emotion that we learned of the passing of Lorcan Charonnat, known in Rojava as Zinar Koçer (Zinar the Nomad). A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) since 2019, Lorcan fell in Qamishli on February 18, 2020, while carrying out his mission. Lorcan was French, but he chose to fight alongside the people of Rojava , driven by his ideals and by the desire to defend universal values ​​in which he deeply believed. The CDK-F extends its sincerest condolences to his family, loved ones, and comrades. We share their grief and pay tribute to Lorcan's memory and commitment.

Press release of September 5, 2026 from the Kurdish Democratic Council in France

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have announced the death of French internationalist Zinar Koçer. Born Lorcan Charonnat in 1994, he went to North Eastern Syria in 2019 and joined the Rojava revolution. According to the SDF, he died in Qamishli on February 18, 2020. The statement does not explain why his death was only made public more than six years later.

Charonnat grew up in France in a democratically minded family that championed freedom, justice, and equality. He completed an engineering degree in telecommunications at INSA Lyon. He later dedicated his knowledge and skills to the political and social causes he believed in.

Lorcan Charonnat at a concert in support of Zehra Dogan that he had helped to organise, 24/09/2018.

Before joining the the SDF, Charonnat had already been involved in supporting the revolution in North and Eastern Syria for half a decade. In an interview with Ouest France on September 24, 2015 he told the reporter that he wished "... to make people understand the stakes in this region, the conflicting interests of the various powers involved, which makes it a powder keg…” and that “We also wish to share the concrete experiences of the Kurdish people, divided among four states, who are fighting for their liberation and to preserve their culture and language. In Rojava , in the Syrian Kurdish region, remarkable social and political experiments are being carried out in the areas of democracy, confederalism, feminism, and social ecology..."

Under the name Zinar Koçer, Charonnat joined the revolution and participated in a training program in 2019. According to the SDF, he then contributed his technical knowledge and experience to the work on the ground. His decision was "not a temporary one," but rather an expression of a deep conviction in the values ​​of the revolution and a desire to stand alongside the people of the region against ISIS and other Islamist groups.

According to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Zinar Koçer died on February 18, 2020, while carrying out his duties in Qamishli. The SDF expressed their condolences to his family, friends, and comrades. "Zinar's sacrifice will not be forgotten. What he gave for freedom and humanity will live on in our consciousness, and his memory will remain alive in the hearts of the people of Rojava and all population groups in North and East Syria," the statement concludes.