Female journalists celebrate 123-year-old Kurdish press tradition

Mesopotamia Women Journalists Platform celebrated the 123rd anniversary of the Kurdish press and said, "We will continue our claim to turn the 21st century into an age of women's freedom".

In a written statement Mesopotamia Women Journalists Platform said that “Today is the 123rd anniversary of the publication of the Kurdistan newspaper. It was the first Kurdish newspaper published by Mîqdad Mîdhed Bedirxan on April 22, 1898 in Cairo, Egypt. Since 1973, it has been celebrated as the "Kurdish Journalists Day" in which both journalists and press martyrs are commemorated.

“Despite massacres, disappearances, censorship, detentions, arrests and many other crackdowns, Kurdish journalism has rewritten the history of journalism by not taking a step back. The Kurdish press has always shown its determination to continue the "journalism of the truth".

We, as Kurdish women journalists, will fulfill the responsibility to follow the truth inherited from this tradition. We will not sell our pens to the governments and we will continue our claim to turn the 21st century into an age of women's freedom.

We are going forward with determination to give a new impetus to the Kurdish women's press by being inspired by Gurbet, Deniz and the Nujiyan who shed light on our way. We congratulate all our friends who dedicated their lives and efforts to the Kurdish press.”