JINHA

AMED – “There is a war happening here that is unreported,” said journalist Norma Costello, reflecting in Diyarbakır on attacks on press freedom by the Turkish government that allow the siege on the region to continue.

Freelance journalist Norma Costello provides news a range of international and Irish news outlets with a focus on the stories of women in the Middle East. Norma spoke to JINHA about her effort to report from areas under blockade and attack, from Shengal to Diyarbakır’s besieged Sur district.

“I think it’s important that the light a woman can shine on a news story is more nuanced than what we generally see in the mainstream press,” said Norma. Norma referred to hypersexualized depictions of Middle Eastern women that do not tell their stories “taking their autonomy away.” She described her stories as an attempt to show the complexity of what women go through by sharing individual interviews and personal experiences. However, she said these types of stories receive little airtime in the West.

“I deal with individuals’ perspective on this chaotic scene and what’s happening here,” said Norma. “History is written through individual stories. Are we going to let them hijack it with a patriarchal narrative like they’ve done for so long? Or are we going to reframe it and put a woman’s view on this?”

As a freelance journalist working in “one of the worst governments for independent journalists at present,” Norma said she receives little support from the Irish government, despite its vocal support for people in postcolonial countries. Few international journalists report on the ongoing blockades in Kurdistan, while local journalists are widely arrested and threatened.

“When it comes to ‘colleagues’ from my country, there are no colleagues that work in this region,” said Norma. “If they do, they come in with superficial coverage. They often have a tendency to go with the government narrative.” She described stories on Kurdistan in papers as big as the Financial Times as little more than “government propaganda” that rely on no reporting outside government reports.

“There is a war happening here that is unreported because of the international situation of turning a blind eye to what Turkey is doing here,” said Norma. “[European governments] want to slow down the tide of refugees coming to Europe because they think this is bringing security to Europe. Okay, well, you’re giving Turkey money to slow down the tide of refugees, but where are the refugees coming from? Why are they leaving?”

Norma emphasized that the lack of press freedom provided a free hand to the Turkish government.

“I would directly address Western governments and say how the hell are you letting Erdoğan get away with this policy? How are you ignoring this? Why is Turkey seen as an ally to the West when what they are doing to people in this region is immoral, neocolonial, abhorrent on every front?” said Norma. “We journalists are not even allowed to be here.”

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