Kurdish journalism marks 118th anniversary milestone

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— Kurdish journalists on Friday celebrated the 118th anniversary of the publication of first Kurdish newspaper on April 22, 1898.

Kurdistan, which was the name of the publication, was first printed in Cairo by the renowned Kurdish literary figure, Miqdad Baderkhan, who was exiled to Egypt in late 1890s.

The paper soon become enormously popular among the literate Kurds across the Middle East and was subsequently printed in other parts of Kurdistan.

The first Kurdish paper that was published in Kurdistan region was called Peshkawtn (Progress) and was printed under British rule in Sulaimani from 1920 to 1922.

Just under a century later Kurds enjoy hundreds of media outlets including dozens of TV stations and publications in Europe.

The Kurdistan Region authorities have received criticism in the past from international organizations which have called for better protection of journalists and their rights.

But they have dismissed the criticism by pointing to the fact that no journalist is in jail because of their profession or an opinion they have voiced.

Most political parties in Kurdistan region have their own media outlets, including television and radio stations.

Reporters Without Borders published in its annual report last December which found that Iraq and Syria were the most dangerous places for journalists in the world in 2015, 21 journalists were killed while reporting in those war-torn countries