Kurdish journalist from Turkey awarded for her brave reporting, dedication to human rights
Commenting on the award, she said she was “proud” and dedicated it to the heroes and human rights defenders in Turkey and Kurdistan.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A Kurdish journalist from Turkey has been awarded the Front Line Defenders 2018 Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk for her brave reporting and dedication to human rights.
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore presented Nurcan Baysal with the award during a ceremony at Dublin’s City Hall on May 18.
Baysal, who was named the Global Laureate for 2018, is a journalist based in Diyarbakir, in Turkey’s Kurdistan.
She spent several months visiting Kurdish villages in 2016 which were under attack by the Turkish government following a collapse in a ceasefire between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Baysal’s work included documenting human rights violations and helping families who had been directly affected by the bombardment and military offensive in the southeastern city.
Commenting on the award, she said she was “proud” and dedicated it to the heroes and human rights defenders in Turkey and Kurdistan.
I am so proud to take the Front Line Defenders Award!
— Nurcan Baysal (@baysal_nurcan) May 18, 2018
Thank you! Gelek spas!
I accept this award on behalf of these unsung heroes and for all human rights defenders in Turkey and especially in Kurdistan!#FLDAward #turkey #humanrights pic.twitter.com/Y6REtzBO2n
During the Turkish military’s campaign in Syrian Kurdistan’s Afrin region, the Kurdish journalist used her platform on social media to condemn Ankara’s aggression and demand peace.
Her writings and opinions have landed her in trouble with the law, and she has previously been detained for speaking against the violence in Afrin.
Baysal now faces up to three years in jail on separate charges based on allegations by authorities that she has “spread propaganda for armed terrorist organizations.”
Since 2005, the Award has been presented annually “to human rights defenders who—at great personal risk—have made an exceptional contribution to protecting and promoting the rights of their communities,” according to a readout on the Front Line Defenders website.
Although the honor is presented to one winner each year, the 2018 ceremony recognized defenders from five different countries: Nurcan Baysal (Turkey), Soni Sori (India), Hassan Bouras (Algeria), the LUCHA movement (Democratic Republic of Congo), and La Resistencia Pacífica de la Microregión de Ixquisis (Guatemala).
“The defenders we’re honoring today work in some of the most dangerous areas of the world, sacrificing their own security to peacefully demand justice and human rights for their communities,” Andrew Anderson, Executive Director of Front Line Defenders, said during the ceremony in Dublin.
“The Award demonstrates that these defenders have the support of the international community, that their sacrifices have not gone unnoticed, and that we stand in solidarity with their unrelenting bravery,” he added.