Kurdish Journalism Honors Courage: Gurbetelli Ersöz and Musa Anter Awards Spotlight Press Freedom Under Threat

June 14, 2025 – Kurdistan – 

Journalism across Kurdistan continues to thrive under immense pressure, with several prestigious awards honoring journalists who persist despite risks. The Gurbetelli Ersöz Women’s Journalism Award and the Musa Anter Journalism Awards both serve as powerful tributes to Kurdish journalists who have paid a heavy price for their commitment to truth.

The Gurbetelli Ersöz Women’s Journalism Award, named after the first female Kurdish editor-in-chief, commemorates the life and work of Gurbetelli Ersöz, who was killed in 1997. Introduced by the Coalition for Women in Journalism alongside Kurdish media organizations, the award was launched on Kurdish Women Journalists’ Day, celebrated annually on October 7. Ersöz remains a symbol of courage for many Kurdish women journalists who continue to report under challenging circumstances. The award celebrates women who carry forward Ersöz’s legacy, often reporting from conflict zones and addressing gender issues in hostile environments. In areas like Rojava, women now constitute nearly 65% of journalists, reflecting the growing strength of female voices in the region’s media landscape.

Alongside the Musa Anter Journalism Awards, organized annually by Yeni Yaşam newspaper, honor the memory of Musa Anter, a Kurdish writer and journalist assassinated in 1992. The awards, now in their 31st year, recognize journalists working across multiple categories, including news reporting in Kurdish and Turkish, photography, cartoons, and women’s journalism—a special category dedicated to Ersöz. This year’s ceremony in Istanbul highlighted the work of journalists such as Pakhshan Azizi from Iran, Silava Ebdulrehman of ANHA, and Rahime Karvar for her reporting on women agricultural laborers.

Both awards serve not only as recognition but also as acts of resistance, reminding the world of the dangers Kurdish journalists face. The legacy of Anter and Ersöz continues to inspire reporters who confront censorship, threats, and violence in their pursuit of truth. These awards underscore the importance of press freedom and the crucial role Kurdish journalists, particularly women, play in giving voice to marginalized communities despite ongoing oppression.

Reference – 

https://www.womeninjournalism.org/threats-all/the-coalition-for-women-in-journalism-celebrates-day-of-kurdish-women-journalists

https://hawarnews.com/en/womens-journalism-awards-named-after-gurbetelli-ersoez

Musa Anter Journalism Awards commemorate journalists working under threat