Media professionals from Afrin: Kurdish Press Day is historic turning point

April 22^nd is the Kurdish Press Day, the birth anniversary of the first Kurdish newspaper issued by Al-Emir, Miqdad Medhat Bedrkhan, under the name "Kurdistan" in the Egyptian capital Cairo in 1898.

"Media revolution in Rojava"

About this, media professionals from Afrin canton spoke about the importance of this day for them and the Kurdish media reality in general, as NÛJINHA correspondent Fidan Abdullah says, "In Rojava, a parallel revolution occurred, which is the media revolution, in addition to the revolution of women in the media," referring to the stage the media reached despite the difficult conditions it faced during the revolution phase, the pressures exerted by the Syrian regime against the Kurds in Syria, obliterating the Kurdish language, preventing it from being spoken in addition to preventing the practice of their culture freely.

Fidan continued her speech by saying: "Women in society are deprived of their identity and have no role, and the difficulties we faced are due to this reason during our work in the media."

Fidan Abdullah pointed out that the resistance shown by the Kurdish press throughout history contributed to its arrival to this advanced stage, especially in Rojava Revolution, where it was the echo of society and revealed the truth of the revolution to society.

Fidan pointed out that "some media outlets that call themselves and operate in the name of the Kurds have deliberately reversed the reality of the Rojava Revolution and tried to create discord between the components in north and east Syria, but we were able to reveal their truth to the public opinion."

Concluding her speech, Fidan Abdullah said, "The difficulties we faced were increasing our willpower and love of work in order to be the voice of society and show the truth."

"Historic day"

For his part, RONAHÎ TV correspondent Zakaria Sheikho talked about the Kurdish Press Day and the difficulties that he went through during his media career and covering the attacks of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries on Rojava from the beginning of the revolution in particular on the occupied Afrin canton, in addition to the situation of the people within the camps in al-Shahba canton, and the violations practiced by the Turkish occupation against the indigenous people in occupied Afrin.

At the beginning of his speech, Sheikho said, "The Kurdish Press Day for the Kurds and those working in media institutions is a historic day because the press played a prominent role in showing the reality of the Rojava Revolution and the resistance of the revolutionary people to world public opinion, in addition to the violations that states have committed against the Kurds in Kurdistan and outside the homeland."

Sheikho referred to the institutions that serve the interests of states and parties, foremost among which is the Turkish occupation state, which seeks through its media outlets to pursue a special war against the Kurds and all components in north eastern Syria.

Sheikho also noted that the Kurdish press had a greater role in training society and reorganizing it again, revealing the plans drawn up by colonial countries against it, and the revolutions that took place in Kurdistan, through media outlets in all their institutions.

Sheikho added in his speech that "during the attacks of the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries on Afrin canton, the media played a prominent role in showing the truth of those attacks and massacres committed by the occupation against the people of Afrin."

It is worth menetioning that Zakaria Sheikho was wounded during his coverage of the Turkish occupation aggression in Rajo district in the first defense lines, along with the fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Women's Protection Units (YPJ).

On her part, JIN TV correspondent Zilan Mohammed congratulated at the beginning of her speech all the martyrs who sacrificed themselves in order to communicate the truth on the Kurdish Press Day, and touched on the media situation in the past and during this stage, and said: "The Kurdish press was suffering from difficult conditions during the past years, due to the pressures practiced by authoritarian regimes, in addition to the difficulty of communicating information from one area to another and the remoteness of areas from each other."

Zilan added, "The work in the field of media was secret, and it is difficult to share information with the world public opinion, to show the truth of the authoritarian regimes that seek to exterminate the Kurds, but the Kurdish press at that time tried to work and overcome all pressures in order to show the existing reality even though it remained within a certain framework, and it was at the service of the parties and every part of Kurdistan alone."

Zilan Mohammed indicated that with the beginning of the Rojava Revolution, great steps were made in the field of Kurdish journalism, in addition to the opening of media institutions and the strengthening of this field, especially the opening of channels and agencies for women.

Zilan Mohammed referred to the status of women previously, and said, "The pressures exerted by the state and society used to negatively affect the work of women in the field of journalism."

Zilan Mohammed confirmed that with the opening of the media institutions for women, the truth about women and the genocide that they were subjected to throughout history were revealed.

On the role of women in developing themselves in the field of media, Zilan Mohammed said, "We will not be able to say that we have overcome all difficulties and are satisfied with that; rather, all women who work in the field of media must develop themselves, and they must work hard because we are waiting for a next stage and a greater role to show the truth."

D.H

ANHA

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