Deniz Tekin
The first-ever Gurbetelli Ersöz Women's Journalism Awards were presented at a ceremony in Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey, celebrating women journalists for their work highlighting women's issues and gender-based challenges in media.
Named after Gurbetelli Ersöz, the first woman to serve as editor-in-chief of a newspaper in Turkey, the awards aim to promote visibility for women's contributions to journalism. The ceremony, organized by the Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG), was held at Çand Amed (Sezai Karakoç Culture and Congress Center), with participation from journalists, activists, local officials, and civil society groups.
Photos of women journalists killed while on duty were displayed around the venue, and the event began with a moment of silence to honor their memory. MKG Chair Roza Metina opened the ceremony with a speech in Kurdish, commemorating journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of truth. She said the award was established to highlight and amplify the labor of women in journalism, emphasizing that Gurbetelli Ersöz—editor-in-chief of the pro-Kurdish Özgür Gündemnewspaper in the 1990s—refused to yield despite state pressure and censorship.
Metina pointed to ongoing state pressure on the free press in Turkey and praised women journalists who continue to resist in the face of such challenges. She criticized the media's exclusionary and sexist language toward women and vowed to continue challenging it.
A message from Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) held in İmralı Prison, was read aloud during the ceremony. PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Fatma Ersöz, mother of Gurbetelli Ersöz, addressed the attendees, saying: “Let there be peace now, let no one else die.”
The awards segment concluded with a musical performance.
Award recipients
The jury recognized the following entries across various categories:
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Kurdish News Category, First Prize: Rojda Aydın and Dilan Babat from JINNEWS for their report titled "Kiryarê ku destdirêjî 12 zarokan kir, tiryakê ji ku peyda dike?" (translated: “The abuser who molested 12 children—where does his addiction come from?”)
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Turkish News Category, First Prize: Zeynep Durgut of Mezopotamya Agency for her report “Special warfare in Şırnak: The prostitution ring involving non-commissioned officers.” Şırnak is a province bordering Iraq and Syria, with a large Kurdish population and frequent military operations.
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Turkish News Category, Jury Special Award: Journalist Yeşim Oruç for “Overlooked truths, invisible perpetrators” and Necla Demir Arvas for “The spirit of March 8 through the words of an imprisoned journalist.”
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Video News Category: Derya Ren of JINNEWS for her video report “State violence in Silopi through images.”Silopi is a town in Şırnak Province near the Iraq border, often cited in reports of security force abuses.
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Photography Category, First Prize: Fatoş Sarıkaya of Pir News Agency (PİRHA) for her photo titled “Unvaccinated memory.”
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Photography Category, Jury Special Award: Journalist Sonay Ödüngit for the photo “Thousands of Arics on the street.”
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Gurbetelli Ersöz Women's Journalism Honorary Award: Awarded to the Peace Mothers, a women-led initiative advocating for peace and reconciliation, especially among Kurdish and Turkish communities.
Attendees included representatives from MKG, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), Peace Mothers, local NGOs, women's organizations, Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar—co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP), members of parliament from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), mayors, and numerous journalists.
