Joanna Palani
- Category : 1993-births
- Type : MGP
- Profile : 4/6 - Opportunistic / Role Model
- Definition : Single
- Incarnation Cross : RAX The Sleeping Phoenix 1
Biography
Kurdish-Danish soldier, born in a refugee camp, who fought ISIS in the Syrian conflict, including the siege of Kobani in 2014, as a member of the YPJ, the all-female brigade of the Kurdish militia in Syria.
At age three, she arrived in Denmark with her family as refugees and eventually studied politics. Inspired by the Arab Spring, Palani travelled to the Middle East in order to join the YPJ. After training as a soldier, saboteur and sniper, she served as a YPJ fighter over several years.
On her return to Denmark she was arrested, and jailed on 11 December 2016 for six months, under anti-terrorism legislation and released on 21 December, then sentenced to nine months in prison on 22 November 2017.
Her memoir, Freedom Fighter: My War Against ISIS on the Frontlines of Syria, was released in 2019.