SITÎ ROZ

Shengal (Sinjar)- Journalists advocating the free press made the genocide committed against the Yazidi community on August 3, 2014 in Shengal heard all around the world. Nujiyan Erhan was one of these journalists. She was targeted while trying to be the voice of the Yazidi women. On March 3, 2017, journalist Nûjiyan Erhan was injured in the attack carried out by the forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) while covering a clash that broke out in the Xanesor town of Shengal. She was taken to the Hasakah Hospital; however, she died at the hospital on March 22.

 In an interview with NuJINHA, journalists Emira Zozan and Suham Şengali told the struggle of Nujiyan Erhan.

Emira Zozan talked about how the free press played an important role in making the voices of the Yazidi community heard all around the world.

“First of all, I commemorate all the martyrs of the revolution, particularly the guerrillas who fought without stopping in Shengal. Six years have passed since Nujiyan was martyred. When Heval (English: Comrade) Nujiyan headed for the Shengal mountains in 2015, Yazidi women were in great pain. Heval Nujiyan went to Shengal to make the tragedy suffered by Yazidi women in the genocide heard all around the world,” Emira Zozan said.

 ‘She became the voice of Yazidi women’

Recalling that Yazidi women were confined to home before the genocide due to the intimidating and enslaving policies of the Iraqi state and KDP, Emira Zozan said, “Women were oppressed because they were seen as only housewives, domestic workers. Going outside was a sin for women. After the genocide, the tragedy suffered by women doubled. A Strong struggle could help women to overcome the trauma suffered by them. The struggle waged in Shengal Mountains and plains gave hope to Yazidi women and community. Nujiyan was a part of this struggle. She shared the pain and suffering of the Yazidi women and became the voice of Yazidi women.”

 ‘She reported the genocide committed against the Yazidi community’

Underlining that Nujiyan always listened to Yazidi women taking shelter in mountains, Emira Zozan said, “Heval Nujiyan always listened to Yazidi women in order to tell their stories. She managed to be the friend of all women. Especially mothers loved her friendship. We follow in the footsteps of Nujiyan, she is a role model for us.”

Recalling the attack that killed Nujiyan, Emira Zozan said, “The Peshmerga forces, who left the Yazidi community alone in the genocide, returned to occupy Shengal. Heval Nujiyan was targeted by the KDP Peshmerga forces. If Heval Nujiyan and her comrades had not been there, probably no one would know what had happened to the Yazidi community in the genocide. However, they managed to make the voices of the Yazidi community heard all around the world.”

 ‘Journalists are still subjected to attacks’

“In Shengal, journalists are still subjected to the attacks of the KDP,” Emira Zozan said, “In order to intimidate and scare us; they attack and threaten us, journalists. They try to prevent us from reporting the truth by using many methods. The KDP shares the names of the Yazidi women, who speak to journalists, on social media platforms. The aim of the KDP is to break the will of Yazidi women by sharing their names. But the enemy has failed because we have values left by our colleagues. We are stronger with these values. The enemy must know very well that there are dozens of Yazidi women, who want to follow in the footsteps of Nujiyan.”

‘A special war has been waged against the Yazidi community’

Suham Şengali also talked about the struggle waged by Nujiyan for the Yazidi women. “Nujiyan and her colleagues played an important role in making the voices of Yazidi women heard all around the world,” she said, “A special war has been waged against the Yazidi community. Nujiyan and her colleagues made great efforts to report on this special war against the Yazidis. Heval Nujiyan Erhan was targeted while reporting on the betrayal and invasion. Today, journalists face obstacles and they are also targeted while reporting the truth in four parts of Kurdistan. The attacks on journalists aim to cover up the truth. Many of our colleagues such as Heval Deniz and Heval Rızgar were killed while reporting the truth. The mentality that attacks the values of people targets journalists because it does not want its true face to be revealed. As Yazidi women, we will always follow in the footsteps of Nujiyan.”