VIDEO: Kurds hold first Kurdish Media Festival in Iran’s Kurdistan province

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurds on Monday held the first Kurdish Media Festival in the Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat) city of Sanandaj (Sine) with dozens of media publications participating in the two-day event amid media restriction by the central government.

It is the first festival of its kind to be held in Iran’s Kurdish-populated area known as Rojhilat, a Kurdish word which refers to the eastern part of the Greater Kurdistan, located in modern Iran’s northwestern region.

Over 20 local media publications, including ones from Tehran, participated in the festival.

The government in Iran generally restricts media in the country, with activists, namely in the Kurdish cities, often jailed for their political views that are opposed to the government’s policies.

“The festival is arranged and organized very nicely,” a female Kurdish attendee told Kurdistan 24.

Another attendee said they “hope the event is held annually with more Kurdish media from other parts of [the Greater] Kurdistan invited to participate.”

The organizers expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of the inaugural Kurdish media festival, noting their aim is to promote the event on an international level in the future.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Jiwar Rasool)