Iraq: Kurdish Journalist of Turkish Origin Nagihan Akarsel Gunned Down In Broad Daylight

Location: Iraq, Kurdistan Region, Sulaymaniyah    
Date: October 5, 2022

Prominent Kurdish journalist and academic Nagihan Akarsel was shot multiple times and killed in broad daylight in Sulaymaniyah city, Northern Iraq, on October 4, amid incrasing assassinations of Kurdish people.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is outraged at the horrific killing and demands justice. We extend condolences to Nagihan’s family, friends and colleagues and mourn her loss. Nagihan was a fierce advocate for women’s rights, a feminist and a human rights defender. The silencing of women journalists who dare speak truth to power must end. 

Nagihan was shot dead outside her home at around 10AM, according to news reports.

Her killing marked the fifth attack on a Kurdish person of Turkish government or a critic of the Turkish government to be attacked in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq in the past year.

Nagihan, was an editor at Jineologî, a magazine that regards securing women's rights as a pre-condition for a society’s liberation and is dedicated to the “science of women”. She had moved to the Kurdistan region in Iraq around three years ago and as a member of the Jineology research academy was known for her feminist research both locally and abroad. 

Prior to that she studied journalism at the University of Ankara in Turkey and had worked for the magazine Hevia Jin and Turkey-based Dicle News Agency (DİHA), which was forced shut by the Turkish government through a statutory decree in 2016. Nagihan also worked at the Women’s Library of Kurdistan and was a columnist at the pro-KurdishYeni Özgür Politika newspaper, according to news reports. 

Women journalists and scholars like Nagihan are being violently targeted by oppressive political regimes around the world, particularly in Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Turkey, with attacks on them justified by labelling them as “terrorists” for advocating for women’s rights. 

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, a Turkish origin woman journalist working for an Erbil-based newspaper, said that there were several theories about who is responsible for Nagihan’s killing but the most popular one was the Turkish state. “ I am not fully familiar with the content of her work as a journalist in Turkey, as she wasn’t just ostracized but actually shut down and taken under custody around 2001. I am not certain if she was ever sentenced to prison, but after that, I think she came to the Kurdistan region about 5-6 years ago. As you must be already aware, a Kurdish journalist in Turkey can be subjected to unimaginable pressures and their work labeled as terrorism.”

The journalist added that the Iranian state was also suspect. “The second possibility is that this may have been an attack from Iran. After the murder of Mahsa Amini, demonstrations in Iran developed under the leadership of women. There may have been a concern at this point that Nagihan might affect the demonstrations in Iran as her academic studies were shared to raise awareness during the women's demonstrations.”

But the threats to women journalists who are also fierce advocates of women’s rights in countries where the state supports the trampling of such rights do not just come from the state, noted the female journalist. “There is also a third possibility in my own opinion. Generally, all women suffer hardships in Iraq and Kurdistan region due to restrictions on women’s freedom and independence. This makes it easy for an independent intellectual working woman to become a target. Nagihan’s activities aimed at helping other women acquire individual freedom could also have put her at risk. For example, if a woman who is subjected to violence from family members or others, sought help from the [Jineology] Academy, her family may have perceived Nagihan as an enemy and targeted her to exact personal revenge.

The killing sparked widespread condemnation from local and international women’s rights and journalistic groups, including the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Women’s Branch. “The bullet fired at Nagihan Akarsel was also shot at our struggle for women’s freedom,” stated the organization in a statement issued shortly after the killing. The statement added that this act of brutal violence will fuel their struggle for women’s rights further. 

"Your massacres cannot stop us. Fear the women's struggle; we'll be strengthened by every attempt, every attack of yours!" said HDP deputy Ayşe Acar-Başaran, reacting to the murder. 

Similarly, the Rosa Women’s Association condemned the attack and reiterated their commitment to women’s rights. “This killing is the result of hatred and anger against the women's struggle, women's freedom and [the fight against] misogynistic policies."

Demonstrations against the killing were also organized by Kurdish groups in different European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. 

After Nagihan’s body was shifted to Sulaymaniyah Forensic Medicine Institution, security forces of the Kurdistan Region’s Government - the Asayish - issued a statement claiming that her attacker has been arrested and is under investigation. "After a detailed investigation, we caught the perpetrators of the incident within a few hours with the instruction of the President of the Regional Public Security Agency and the cooperation of Hewlêr-Koye Public Security,” read the statement. The Asayish did not disclose the name of the suspect, however, or share any further details.

Meanwhile, citing its own sources, independent Kurdish news outlet based in İstanbul, Turkey, Mezopotamya Agency, reported that the arrested suspect had attempted to escape to Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region, but was caught by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) at a checkpoint. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with the Jineology research academy and the rights’ groups protesting Nagihan Akarsel. We register strong protest against the murder and call attention to the dangers faced by women journalists in countries where the state backs restrictions on women’s rights. We recall Nagihan’s courage protecting and promoting the fight of Rojava women against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) with pride and pay tribute to her research work at the Jineology academy. We call on the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take immediate action against the perpetrators of the attack. Nagihan’s contribution to journalism and the struggle for women’s liberation cannot be forgotten. We extend condolences to her family, friends and colleagues and demand justice for Nagihan.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists.

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