Kurdish journalist Nûjiyan Erhan was shot in the head by KDP snipers on 3 March 2017 in Xanesor in the Shengal region of southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq). She lost her life on 22 March.

The journalist was commemorated at her grave in Martyr Dilgeş and Martyr Berxwedan Cemetery in Shengal. During the commemoration organized by journalists from Shengal and members of the Yazidi Women's Freedom Movement (TAJÊ), flowers were placed on Erhan’s grave.

Berîvan Çiya, the spokesperson of the Yazidi Women's Press Center, stated that Nujiyan Erhan fought hard to make the voices of Yazidi women heard by the world during the genocidal onslaught in 2014.

“Martyr Nujiyan sacrificed her life to tell the world the truth about our community and the Yazidi mothers. Even in the most difficult conditions, she reached Shengal regardless of obstacles. One of her biggest goals was to establish a press system that would give voice to Yazidi women. Today, as women journalists, we are following in her footsteps. We have been subjected to many massacres in our history, but a genocide as big as the one in 2014 was unprecedented. It was thanks to the struggle of Martyr Nujiyan and her comrades that this genocide was publicized. She did not only work as a journalist but also felt great responsibility towards all segments of society, from women to children. She supported Yazidi women and asked them not to leave their land.”

Stating that the truth cannot be silenced by targeting journalists, Berivan Çiya said, “Dozens of young Yazidi women in Shengal are taking over Martyr Nûjiyan's pen and camera and continuing her struggle.”

Speaking on behalf of TAJÊ, Berfê Eliyas said, “Martyr Nûjiyan was a daughter of the Yazidi community and gave her life for this community. We see her as a member of our community. We say to her family; rest assured, we will never forget the martyr Nûjiyan.”

The commemoration ceremony ended with slogans.

Background

Nûjiyan Erhan was from Urfa in Northern Kurdistan and her real name was Tuba Akyılmaz. She worked for the Kurdish media since 2005 and stayed in Shengal from spring 2015 to document the ISIS genocide and the resistance against it. In the process, she conducted interviews with survivors, especially Yazidi women. She also trained Yazidis for journalistic work.

On March 3, 2017, the "Roj-Peshmerga" force trained by the Turkish state and the KDP invaded the town of Xanesor in Shengal. Trenches were dug around Xanesor and Sinun the night before. Women from Shengal wanted to fill up the trenches again and were attacked. The Shengal Defense Units (YBŞ) sought talks with their counterpart to evaluate the situation and calm the tense situation. Before the meeting was concluded, an advance was launched with thirty Hummers and other armored cars with heavy weapons. Among other things, the force was equipped with weapons and vehicles that European countries had supplied to Southern Kurdistan for the fight against ISIS. Among them were Dingo tanks from Germany.

The YBŞ and Shengal Women's Units (YJŞ) were placed in defensive positions along with the Yazidi security forces, Asayish. The HPG and YJA Star guerrilla fighters, who were still present in the region at the time, proposed negotiations to avoid fighting. Two HPG fighters placed themselves in front of one of the incoming armored cars to stop the advance. They tried to stop the military vehicle with their hands. Their names were Çekdar Sinan and Orhan Baran, both of whom were killed. Journalist Nûjiyan Erhan was deliberately murdered while capturing these scenes with her camera. She succumbed to her injuries from a gunshot to the head in hospital on March 22. TAJÊ activist Nazê Naif and seven YBŞ members were also killed in the ensuing clashes.