PM Barzani hails Rudaw journalist Shifa as brave woman who died for the truth
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Tribute was paid to Shifa Gardi’s life on the 40th day after her death with a memorial service in Erbil on Wednesday.
Rudaw’s correspondent Shifa Gardi was killed while working on a story about ISIS mass graves south of west Mosul on February 25. Her cameraman, Younis Mustafa, was injured in the explosion of an IED that killed Shifa and several Hashd al-Shaabi fighters.
Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani was among the dignitaries who attended the memorial.
“She was a courageous and brave woman,” he said of Shifa. “If you have a look at her life, she was from a revolutionary, hard-working family. Her father has been a Peshmerga all his life. They even had a role in the Kurdish revolution in Mahabad. They are a very patriotic Kurdish family.”
Shifa’s death has added to the suffering her family has gone through, he said.
Barzani described her as a loving person who was “killed at an early age while trying to show the crimes committed by ISIS to the whole world,” and news of her death “echoed throughout the world.”
“She was a Kurdish woman worthy of being proud of, a Kurdish woman who was born in diaspora in Zewa camp,” Barzani said. “What she had done is worthy of pride to all the women of Kurdistan. We are also proud to have had such a woman.”
The prime minister also extended his condolences to all the Peshmerga who were killed “protecting Kurdistan and defending this country and land,” and Mustafa Saeed, a cameraman at Kurdistan TV who was killed covering Peshmerga operations against ISIS on the Khazir front in August 2016.
He also wished a speedy recovery to Younis Mustafa.
Barzani took the opportunity to also comment on developments in Kurdish media, a field that still needs to improve, he remarked.
Comparing Kurdistan Region’s media to a few years ago, Barzani noted good developments were evident including the role of women and more experienced people working in the field. “Nowadays, international media learn about many events that happen in Kurdistan and Iraq from Kurdish media. These are all good developments.”
“But if the question is whether this media is at the requisite level – no. I believe the media in Kurdistan should be more accurate and circulate news truthfully,” Barzani said, noting that this was a problem around the world.
Rudaw’s correspondent Shifa Gardi was killed while working on a story about ISIS mass graves south of west Mosul on February 25. Her cameraman, Younis Mustafa, was injured in the explosion of an IED that killed Shifa and several Hashd al-Shaabi fighters.
Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani was among the dignitaries who attended the memorial.
“She was a courageous and brave woman,” he said of Shifa. “If you have a look at her life, she was from a revolutionary, hard-working family. Her father has been a Peshmerga all his life. They even had a role in the Kurdish revolution in Mahabad. They are a very patriotic Kurdish family.”
Shifa’s death has added to the suffering her family has gone through, he said.
Barzani described her as a loving person who was “killed at an early age while trying to show the crimes committed by ISIS to the whole world,” and news of her death “echoed throughout the world.”
“She was a Kurdish woman worthy of being proud of, a Kurdish woman who was born in diaspora in Zewa camp,” Barzani said. “What she had done is worthy of pride to all the women of Kurdistan. We are also proud to have had such a woman.”
The prime minister also extended his condolences to all the Peshmerga who were killed “protecting Kurdistan and defending this country and land,” and Mustafa Saeed, a cameraman at Kurdistan TV who was killed covering Peshmerga operations against ISIS on the Khazir front in August 2016.
He also wished a speedy recovery to Younis Mustafa.
Barzani took the opportunity to also comment on developments in Kurdish media, a field that still needs to improve, he remarked.
Comparing Kurdistan Region’s media to a few years ago, Barzani noted good developments were evident including the role of women and more experienced people working in the field. “Nowadays, international media learn about many events that happen in Kurdistan and Iraq from Kurdish media. These are all good developments.”
“But if the question is whether this media is at the requisite level – no. I believe the media in Kurdistan should be more accurate and circulate news truthfully,” Barzani said, noting that this was a problem around the world.