Turkey’s first female editor-in-chief Gurbetelli Ersöz was killed on October 7, 1997. Since then, October 7 is celebrated as Kurdish Women Journalists’ Day. Women journalists taking over the legacy left to them by Gurbetelli Ersöz say they will continue to follow her path.

EBÎR MUHEMED

Qamishlo- Turkey’s first female editor-in-chief Gurbetelli Ersöz was killed in a clash with the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) on October 7, 1997. The seventh of October has been celebrated as Kurdish Women Journalists’ Day since October 7, 2014. We spoke to women journalists about their day.

“We spread our struggle together”

Hawar News Agency (ANHA) employee Cane Xemgin celebrated the day of all women journalists, “Kurdish Women Journalists’ Day is connected with the history of the struggle of the Kurdish people and of Kurdish journalism in general.  And we spread this struggle together.”

“They became martyrs while reporting the truth”

Women journalists follow the path of Gurbetelli Ersöz and dozens of women journalists becoming martyrs while reporting the truth, Cane Xemgi said that women have played an important role in the press since the publication of the Kurdistan Newspaper. Speaking about the revolution in Rojava, Cane Xemgi said, “Dozens of Kurdish women journalists lost their lives for reporting the truth. For example, Deniz Fırat was martyred in an attack carried out by ISIS. Nujiyan Erhan was martyred in Shengal while Dilişan İbiş in Rojava Kurdistan.” Cane Xemgin pointed to the role and existence of women in journalism, “In Rojava Kurdistan, 65% of journalists are women. Women also carried out a revolution in journalism. Most of the people working for channels, magazines, newspapers, and news agencies are women. Women protect the standards of the free press.”

“Women report the truth from battlefields”

Ronahi Newspaper employee Darin Sile also celebrated the day of all women journalists. Women play important roles in every part of life, Darin Sile said, “Women journalists, for instance, report the truth from battlefields. They show the truth to the world.”

“We can do more”

Darin Sile talked about the challenges faced by women journalists and said, “Women journalists have faced many difficulties due to patriarchal mindset. Women have been active in journalism for a long time but they are ignored. The patriarchal mindset doesn’t allow them to prove themselves. Since the beginning of the revolution (Revolution in Rojava), women have overcome the difficulties they face and helped other women. I believe that women journalists can do more to stand against the enemy and to support other women.”