The Coalition For Women In Journalism Celebrates “Day Of Kurdish Women Journalists”
Location: Turkey, Ankara
Date: October 7, 2020Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
Kurdish women journalists in Turkey are celebrating the seventh of “Day of Kurdish Women Journalists”. The day is dedicated to the memory of Gurbetelli Ersöz who was not only the first Kurdish woman to be the head of a written publication but was also Turkey's first female editor in chief. The day represents for Kurdish women journalists a bitter sweet hope and fighting spirit.
The legacy of Gurbetelli Ersöz, who was the editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem newspaper during the conflict and chaos of the 1990s, when journalists were killed in the middle of the street, today is kept alive by "forever young" female journalists who work at the border, in exile and in the corridors of courthouses.
We respectfully commemorate Gurbetelli Ersöz who was essentially a chemical engineer and after the Chernobyl and Halabja massacres, decided to pursue journalism, in her own words, because: “Nothing has changed; like chemistry, you are in a laboratory, you need to look there as if you were examining preparations. Just as you see another feature of the preparation with each different lens, different aspects and different elements emerge in the news with different lenses, only when these come together, you can get the most realistic picture of the news."
The Coalition For Women In Journalism spoke with some of the Kurdish women journalists who have portrayed the most courageous and transparent journalism example of the geography despite repression, detentions and the impositions of the patriarchal order.
Gurbetelli Ersöz's name comes from the fact that she was born in the 1960s while her father was a worker in Germany (Gurbet means “foreign land” in Turkish). We spoke to Jinda Zekioğlu who is a journalist in voluntary exile, with the awareness that many Kurdish women journalists have an adventure of expatriation today.
After years of career with ANF and IMC TV, Jinda moved to the Greek island of Samos in 2018. Regarding the immigration decision and being an immigrant Kurdish woman journalist, Jinda says: “During my last years in Turkey, I had given up on being a reporter. The media did not allow me to survive, neither in the mainstream nor in the opposition. Since I always loved to write, I have done various projects in Europe. I have written books in the field of gastronomy, which I am already interested in. I enjoyed it very much. But of course, you always reminisce about what you really want to write. That's why I embraced the idea of living in Greece, even in a small town on a small island. A minimalist life can bring you together with all over the world thanks to the possibilities of technology. I found a balance in my own way.”
When we ask Jinda “did you immigrate because you are a journalist or are you back to doing journalism because you immigrated” her answer is "both". “If I had stayed, I would not be able to write a single line, I would not be able to speak, I would be lost in the city. Yes maybe I ran away, but with this escape I returned to my own will, my feelings, my belief in what I could produce. Kurdish, woman, journalist, immigrant; all these titles come with heavy emotions to bear but we don't have time to sit down and cry. Especially, our debt to Kurdish women cannot be paid in silence and whining.”
While Jinda says "Kurds should be narrators, not listeners", we leave the floor to the young Kurdish journalist Berivan Altan. Berivan describes the process in which she decided to work as a journalist, that is, to become a narrator:
“I started journalism, or rather the profession of revealing the truth, in 2015. Actually, my entry into the profession was very simple. I just liked taking photographs during my university years, but then I continued with my belief in truth seeking. I could not remain indifferent to the desire to be the voice of the ignored and oppressed people. Gurbetelli Ersöz was one of the names I was most impressed by on my journey. Our common point is that my family also had to migrate to Adana like hers and I am also a Chemist. I was very impressed when I read her life story.”
Human Rights Association Co-Chair Lawyer Eren Keskin is a human rights defender and a lawyer, as well as an indomitable women's rights advocate who was the editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem and is on trial for her writings there. Eren Keskin tells on the pressure Kurdish women in Turkey who pursue journalism:
“This geography is a geography of denial. The Kurdish issue, the Armenian Genocide, the Cyprus problem, these are the "red lines" of the system! If you try to express your thoughts on these issues, you will immediately become a 'thought criminal'. Kurdish journalism, on the other hand, chose the field of publication outside of the official ideology. This is the reason for all the pressure, to this day. Of course, as in all areas of life, the journalism profession is a "male-dominated" field. It was with Gurbetelli Ersöz that a female editor-in-chief took over a newspaper for the first time. Özgür Gündem is the newspaper that has experienced the most state repression and even “massacre” in the geography. It was bombed, its writers and distributors at an early age were massacred. Still, the pressure continues.
I became the editor-in-chief of the newspaper between 2013 and 2016, although I had never been a journalist before. I saw this task as "my debt to our losses". 143 lawsuits were filed against me for my articles on Özgür Gündem. Currently, I am facing a total of 17 years and 2 months of imprisonment. There are hundreds of thousands of TL fines against me. Am I regretful? No! Because, the struggle for freedom of expression is a 'way of life' for me that I am pursuing alongside with the women's struggle. "
In this geography, it is difficult to be a journalist, to be a woman, and even more difficult to be a woman journalist. In addition, being a Kurdish woman journalist means being the oppressed of the oppressed. Berivan is against all these prejudices:
“Being a Kurdish woman journalist has multiple dimensions. Actually, first of all, you start rebelling against your family. It takes a struggle to get them used to you being a woman and a journalist. In addition to being in a profession in which there are few women journalists in the field, you also have to suffer from being a Kurd. It is not that easy to report and show yourself among patriarchal men. But still, the fact that there are women who provide you with strength, hope and a spirit of fighting increases your excitement."
For Kurdish women in diaspora, Jinda's advice is "to give yourself time and get to know your migration and its story."
“First of all, journalism as a form of production is not possible without overcoming the first years and first difficulties of immigration. It exists as an identity. I recommend them to be prepared from the beginning. Because when the journalist cannot produce, psychologically they tend to think it is due to personal inadequacy." Mentioning that the sector is open to exploitation, that Berivan also mentioned, she says to Kurdish female journalists, "We should use the chance we have, but we should not let ourselves be used."
“No matter in which field we produce journalism, we have to remember that what we produce is labor. Each news institution is built on a certain financial investment, and your contribution is worthwhile. Journalism is not a business to be pursued to just make a living. But this does not mean that our labor is free. I recommend that they start by knowing the conditions of the country they live in. They should not forget that professional associations are also a controller in this sense, and they should not break their relations with unions and associations. It is of course essential that Kurdish journalists, female journalists and Kurdish female journalists support each other in this sense. "
The Coalition For Women In Journalism promises to remain in solidarity with Kurdish women journalists. We leave the last words to Berivan: “As Kurdish women journalists, we will not let the ink of our pen dry and we will not get tired of revealing the truth. With all the inspiration we received from Gurbetelli, despite all oppression we will remain here.”
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.
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