İSTANBUL - Jin News Agency Managing Editor Safiye Alağaş who was deemed worthy of the Maria Grazia Cutuli Award, a journalist who was murdered in an Al Qaeda attack in Afghanistan, stated that the award is a result of the success of the Kurdish women journalists.
Maria grazia Cutuli award, a reporter or Corriere Della Sera who lost her life in an Al Qaeda attack on November 19, 2001 in Afghanistan was granted to Jin News Agency Managing Editor Safiye Alağaş this year. Alağaş will recieve her award with a ceremony held in November 23rd in Santa Venerina town of Catania, Sicily. Speaking about the 15th prize this year, Alağaş said that the success of Kurdish women journalists has started to be seen internationally and that they will continue to write the truth.
'IT MEANS WE HAVE RESPONDED WELL'
Alağaş, stating that Jin News has stand tall against all oppression and leads the way for women journalists, said this award is both very meaningful and special. Alağaş stating that the award is being given in the name of a woman journalist who was killed by Al Qaeda makes it more meaningful since today, many female journalists are facing the same thing in the Middle East and Rojava. Alağaş said: "Maria was massacred by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Now, if you look at it, Kurdish journalists who are struggling at the Middle East, especially in Rojava are face to face with the same mentality. Our friend Deniz Fırat was massacred in Maxmur by ISIS. We see that female journalists working at the Middle East are also struggling with a mentality. This award is not only the success of Safiye Alağaş but also the success of Deniz Fırat, Nujiyan Erhan, Gurbeteli Ersoz. They have part in this success. This is how I feel. And that's why this award means so much to me. It means we have been able to respond well to their example."
Adding that Kurdish women journalists are fighting despite all the pressures, Alağaş said that they will not give up their struggles. Emphasizing that they were subjected to pressures for expressing the facts, Alağaş continued her words as follows: “We are being sued, detained and arrested. Two of our friends were arrested the other day. These friends were arrested only for their journalistic practice. Of course, these pressures are not new. "
Stating that journalists are obliged to bring the facts to the public, Alağaş said: "As Jin News, we came out with the slogan ‘With women's pen, on track of the facts'. We will continue to write the truth with the woman's pen. We have such a path and we will never make concessions from this path."