News Center- The Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Party) Press Commission has released a written statement to mark the 126th anniversary of the publication of the Kurdistan Newspaper.

The journey of the Kurdistan Newspaper began 126 years ago in Cairo, Egypt and it was an important step in the Kurdish struggle for enlightenment, national consciousness, equality and freedom, the statement said.

“Despite the ongoing attacks, obstacles, arrests and assimilation policies, thousands of Kurdish journalists have followed in the footsteps of Mikdad Midhad Bedir Khan and pursued the trust for 126 years. The Kurdistan Newspaper was not only a newspaper; it has become the name of a shining truth in the Middle East 126 years ago against denial and destruction policies. The history of the Kurdish press has proven that it is also an area of struggle and resistance and despite all the attacks, this enlightenment movement has expanded in the whole region.”

‘Kurdish journalists played a leading role’

The Kurdish press workers were determined to carry the torch of enlightenment left by the Kurdistan Newspaper in the dark days of the 90s, the statement said. “And they played a leading role in the political and intellectual change in the 2000s. Many incidents that were tried to be kept in the dark and forgotten such as massacres, oppression and human rights violations were revealed by the Kurdish journalists. The Kurdish journalists were oppressed, tortured, attacked and arrested for struggling for truth.”

‘They have been subjected to oppression, censorship and attacks’

Kurdish journalists have been subjected to a great wave of oppression, censorship and attack by the AKP government especially in the last 20 years, the statement added. “Many press outlets such as newspapers, news agencies, channels and radio stations, were closed down by an emergency decree in the aftermath of a failed coup in Turkey in 2016. The attacks on the Kurdish press and the Kurdish language are going on as a continuation of historical oppression and attacks. These attacks turned into annihilation attacks in the 90s. Today, massacres have been carried out against academics and journalists such as Nagihan Akarsel. Happy Kurdish Journalists Day to all Kurdish press workers and Mikdad Midhad Bedir Khan, the founder of the Kurdistan Newspaper. We commemorate all press martyrs in the person of Musa Anter, Gurbetelli Ersöz, Nagihan Akarsel, Hafız Akdemir and Hüseyin Deniz. We always remember their legacy, struggle and resistance.”