ANKARA - Stating that the Kurdistan Newspaper is an important step in the Kurd's struggle for enlightenment, national consciousness, equality and freedom, DEM Party said, "The path opened by Mîqdat Mîdhat Bedîrxan is persistently followed in the footsteps of truth."

 

Tayip Temel, Deputy Chair of the Press and Propaganda Commission of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), made a written statement on the anniversary of the publication of the first issue of the Kurdistan Newspaper. In the statement made in Kurdish and Turkish, it was stated that the adventure with Kurdistan Newspaper began 126 years ago in Cairo, Egypt.

 

The statement underlined that Kurdistan Newspaper is an important step in the Kurd's struggle for enlightenment, national consciousness, equality and freedom, and included the following statements: “Unfortunately, the Kurdistan Newspaper, which is a historical turning point in the Kurdish press and intellectual life, was published in exile, under impossibilities, and was subjected to pressure. Even though it started its publishing life in exile, it was nourished by the truth of Kurdistan and expressed the truth of the Kurds." 

 

FOLLOWING THE TRUTH

 

Thousands of Kurdish journalists for 126 years; Despite the continuous attacks, obstacles, destruction and assimilation policies, Mîqdat Mîdhed persistently followed the path of truth on the path opened by Bedirxan and stubbornly continued this tradition. Beyond being a newspaper in this sense, Kurdistan Newspaper became the name of a shining truth in the Middle East 126 years ago against denial, destruction and ignoring. For this reason, the history of the Kurdish press has proven to be an area of struggle and resistance, and despite all the time that has passed and all the attacks, this enlightenment movement has grown to influence the entire region.

 

POLITICAL AND INTELLECTUAL PIONEERING

 

It pioneered the political and intellectual transformation in the 2000s. Many events that were tried to be kept in the dark and forgotten, such as massacres, oppression and basic human rights violations, were revealed and recorded in history with the stubbornness and insistence of Kurdish journalists. Because of this insistence and stubbornness, Kurdish journalists, who were the targets of pressure, torture and attacks, were detained, arrested, exiled and tried to be separated from the struggle for truth.

 

PRESSURE INCREASED

 

Especially in the last 20 years, the Kurdish press has been subjected to a great wave of pressure, censorship and attack by the AKP government, and with the State of Emergency declared after 2016 and the decrees issued, all institutions of the Free Press were usurped and newspapers, television channels, magazines and radios were closed. The attacks on the Kurdish press and the Kurdish language were carried out in a hostile manner as a continuation of historical oppression and attacks, and these attacks continue today. So much so that these attacks turned into destruction attacks in the 90s, and today massacres have been carried out against academics and journalists such as Nagihan Akarsel. Happy Journalism Day to all Kurdish press workers and the media world, especially Mîqdat Mîdhed Bedirxan, the founder of the Kurdistan Newspaper. We commemorate all press martyrs with respect, mercy and gratitude in the persons of Musa Anter, Gurbetelli Ersöz, Nagihan Akarsel, Hafız Akdemir, Hüseyin Deniz. We bow with respect to their memories, legacy of struggle and resistance.”