NEWS CENTER_Media circles are commemorating the anniversary of the martyrdom of the fighter Gurbetelli Ersöz, the first female editor-in-chief in the history of Kurdish journalism, who faced prosecutions and arrests in defense of revealing the truth, before she passed away on the seventh of October 1997 following a military attack.

Free Women's Media (RAJIN) issued a statement today, Wednesday, the seventh of October, on the twenty-ninth anniversary of the passing of Gurbetelli Ersöz, the prominent figure of the free press and the revolutionary movement for women's liberation.

The statement reviewed her rich career since her birth in 1965 in Elazığ province, and her graduation from the Faculty of Chemistry where she worked as a research assistant before choosing the path of struggle in 1987. It noted that Gurbetelli Ersöz's struggle stations began with her arrest in 1989, passing through her assumption of the editor-in-chief position of the newspaper "Özgür Gündem" in 1993 after her release, and her exposure to severe torture following the raid on the newspaper and the detention of its staff.

The statement added that after her second arrest, which lasted six months, and the escalation of threats from the counter-insurgency forces, Gurbetelli Ersöz joined in 1995 the mountain struggle in Kurdistan as a revolutionary fighter, and assumed leadership positions. It affirmed that it stands in reverence and honor to all the martyrs of October, foremost among them Gurbetelli Ersöz (Zeyneb), who was martyred in an ambush in the Kurdistan Region on the eighth of October 1997.

The statement drew attention to the passage of 29 years since the martyrdom of Gurbetelli Ersöz. "Like all those who dedicated their lives, aware that the life they dreamed of and wished for is not achieved by miracles but by struggle, Gurbetelli Ersöz is not one of those whom oblivion folds away today, but is a beacon for moving forward. Throughout history, those who chose a life of resistance and struggle under fascist conditions, despite the heavy price, proved that they possess free will, deep awareness, and a brave heart, exactly like our comrade Gurbetelli Ersöz."

Free Women's Media renewed in its statement the pledge with her memory. "The day of Kurdish Women Journalists approaches us, which has immortalized since 2014 the career and sacrifices of Gurbetelli Ersöz. A salute of reverence and pride to every hand holding a pen and a camera, continuing to walk the path paved by the blood of the female martyrs seeking freedom and truth. The insistence on conveying the news today amid a scene in which the authorities wage an open war on press freedom through arrest, intimidation, obstruction of coverage, and gender-based violations, elevates the value of this giving and grants it sanctity and deeper meaning."

"We Will Continue to Reveal and Disseminate the Truth"

The statement confirmed that the methods of pressure "are increasing in quantity and quality and spreading across various platforms, as journalists' accounts on social media are closed, their news sites and posts are completely blocked or access to them is banned, leading to the imposition of digital censorship. It is clear that we, as female journalists, are walking in the footsteps of Gurbetelli Ersöz and entrenching the tradition of press freedom. Nothing will deter us from revealing the truth, no matter how intense the policies of pressure and intimidation. We know that the world is being dragged into wars, conflicts, killings of women, poverty, deprivation, and environmental destruction, as a result of the dominant masculine mentality. We see a systematic effort to conceal women's struggle for liberation, and their pursuit to obtain their rights and achievements. In our awareness that women's issues are the fundamental measure of societal problems, we will continue the struggle against the mentality, language, and gender-biased approach prevailing in all areas of life, including the media, to be the memory of women and their voice and the voice of all the oppressed, and to achieve, discover, and disseminate the truth."

"Shafin Bengol, Şilan Aras, Deniz Firat, Nujiyan Erhan, Delishan Ibesh, Dilovan Kafar, Emin Demir, Gulistan Tara, Hero Bahaa Al-Din, Jihan Belkin, Nakihan Akarsal, and all our other martyrs who consider it their duty to continue and support the legacy left by Gurbetelli Ersöz, continue to illuminate and guide our struggle with their memories," according to the statement.

The statement noted that leader Abdullah Öcalan said in his message to the Gurbetelli Ersöz Award for Women's Journalism ceremony, which was held for the first time last year: "It is our duty to commemorate Gurbetelli Ersöz and transmit her ideas and struggle to future generations."

The statement concluded by emphasizing that "as Free Women's Media, we will continue to expand the scope of our organization, drawing determination from our life culture and our struggling traditions that the legacy of our martyrs has cemented. Out of our belief that the victory of the path for which they sacrificed their lives is the way to liberate and beautify the world, and guided by our democratic, ecological, and liberating model for women, we will raise the level of our struggle, and we will work with all our energy to embody a free democratic socialist society."