HELEN EHMED

Sulaymaniyah- On August 23, a Turkish drone targeted a vehicle carrying journalists in the Said Sadiq district of Sulaymaniyah, killing two journalists, Gülistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn.

In Kurdistan Region, journalists are killed or face prison sentences for reporting the truth, Derin Rahim, a journalist based in Sulaymaniyah, said in an interview with NuJINHA. “Women journalists in particular face obstacles from the authorities.”

‘Women journalists in Southern Kurdistan are subjected to violence’

Derin Rahim has also been prevented and targeted for reporting the truth. “Women journalists in Southern Kurdistan are subjected to violence by security forces. Their activities are limited by the patriarchal mindset saying that women should stay at home and raise children! Families do not want their daughters to be journalists. Women journalists face obstacles from their society and families.  As women, we should mobilize against the authoritarian mindset in Southern Kurdistan in order to overcome all the obstacles.”

‘We are targeted because we report the truth’

Derin Rahim thinks that the Turkish attacks on the region continue due to the support of the Kurdistan Regional government. “Journalists are targeted because they report the truth. Suleiman Ahmed is one of the journalists targeted by the authorities. He has been imprisoned for reporting the truth. As journalists, we want to do journalism freely. We want to free our region through journalism. Citizens and journalists have the power to stand against the occupation.”