Şehriban Aslan/JINHA

AMED - Kurdish women journalists, who organize in order to raise the voice of women against masculinity in media, declare the day Gurbetelli Ersöz lost her life as “Kurdish Women Journalists Day”. Women journalists, who face their channels and newspapers to be closed, said, “We will resist how Gurbetelli did”.

Kurdish women journalists founded the Kurdistan Women’s Communication Union (Kürdistan Kadınları İletişim Birliği- RAJIN) in 2013 in order to play role in reflection of ethnic, religious and cultural differences, handle social problems with libertarian perceptive, overcome sexist mindset and language in all media organization and empower the female journalists. Female journalists declared the day Gurbetelli Ersöz, Turkey’s first woman chief editor, lost her life as “Kurdish Women Journalists Day”. Every year, Kurdish women journalists dedicate October 7 to a woman.

Women journalists have faced detention, arrests and treats. The women journalists, who draw their strength from Gubetelli, Ayfer Serçe and Deniz Fırat, said, “We will continue the tradition that left for us against all difficulties like Gurbetelli did.”

One of editor of the Azadiya Welat Newspaper Elif Can Alkan indicated that Kurdish women journalists follow Gurbetelli Ersöz’s part. She said, “We took this heritage from Gurbetelli. Kurdish women will follow the truths. Women reflect the truths by looking at with the eye of society. Another reason for oppression imposed upon women is for being women and Kurds. But everyone should know that this society will never bow down whenever women are on their feet.”

Evin Buldan, editor of the Azadiya Welat Newspaper, wished a happy Kurdish Women Journalists Day to all female journalists and said, “Gurbetelli shows us how to fight in difficult days. We will follow Gurbetelli Ersöz’s part. The homes, villages and cities of the Kurdish people have been bombarded and they have been killed and subjected to torture. The Kurdish women have been displayed on the ground. Their language, culture and identity have been ignored. The opponent press has been silenced. We will continue to reveal the truth like Gurbetelli did. No power can prevent the truth.”

Sakine Kılavuz, one of the camerawomen of the closed Gün T, talked about the pressure on free press and said, “They want to close all peoples’ eyes and ears. As staff member of Gün TV, I will continue my struggle in order to reveal the truth.”

Emgihan Gülmez, reporter of İMC TV, one of closed channels, stated that they saw the color and voice of the Kurdish women journalists in the news of JINHA. She said, “When you read the news of JINHA, you understand and feel they are written by women. And, we know that this tradition is taken from Gurbetelli Ersöz. We will continue this resistance.”

(ra/gc/gd)