WAN — August 8 marks the 11th anniversary of journalist Deniz Fırat, who was killed during a DAESH attack on the Makhmur Refugee Camp in 2014. Her colleague Berivan Tunç recalled that Deniz Fırat continued to document the resistance with her camera until her final moments, standing as a symbol of free press under fire.
Deniz Fırat, one of the first journalists to report the DAESH assault on Makhmur, became widely known for saying: “You go, I will fight with my camera,” during the attack. She was determined to broadcast the voice of the Kurdish people even in the face of death.
FROM FORCED MIGRATION TO JOURNALISM
Born in 1984 in Xecê Xatun village in Çaldıran (Wan/Van), Deniz Fırat experienced state oppression at the age of 6. Her family fled to Iran, and then to the Kurdistan Region in 1991. In 1992, witnessing Turkish and Kurdish factions attacking the PKK, she was inspired by Bêrîtan (Gülnaz Karataş) and joined the Kurdish freedom movement alongside her sister Sarya.
CAREER IN FREE PRESS
In 2007, she joined the free press movement, focusing on women’s journalism. She worked for Goddes Zilan magazine, hosted the “Rojeva Jin” program on Denge Welat Radio, and later contributed to Stêrk TV, JINHA, ROJNEWS, ANF, and the Rojeva Welat newspaper.
She became a coordination member in the 2013 Free Press Conference and was assigned to Makhmur Camp to report.
FIRST TO REPORT THE SHENGAL GENOCIDE
Deniz Fırat was also one of the first journalists to report on the Êzidî Genocide in Shengal (Shengal ) in August 2014. In her report titled "Religions Are Used Today as a Justification to Kill", she wrote: “Thousands were killed. Why? What had those people done? What crime had babies, mothers, and young girls committed? They were killed for being Êzidî. But that's not the only reason, it was also a message against Kurdish unity.”
HONORED IN MEMORY AND STRUGGLE
Deniz Fırat is honored annually at her gravesite in Çaldıran and through poetry and story contests organized by the Free Students Union (YXA). Her sister Binevş was also killed in 1997, and Sarya, with whom she joined the struggle, died on the same date, August 8, 1999.
A LEGACY OF RESISTANCE AND FREE PRESS
Her colleague Berivan Tunç emphasized that Deniz Fırat documented the DAESH attack in every street of Makhmur and was targeted and killed for her work. She stated: “Deniz’s courage laid a path for future journalists. Her legacy lives on through the free press, which continues to resist censorship and repression to report the truth.”
Berivan Tunç also highlighted the killings of other Kurdish journalists in Rojava and Southern Kurdistan, reaffirming that free press workers will continue to be the voice of the people: “We will never let go of the cameras and pens passed on by Deniz and other fallen journalists. We salute them with respect and continue in their footsteps.”