Kurdish journalist Dicle Müftüoğlu, currently imprisoned in Sincan women’s prison in Ankara, Turkey for her journalism, has received the Most Resilient Journalist Award for 2023.
Exceptional journalists were celebrated for their courage and dedication to the principles of free press at the annual Free Press Awards in The Hague on Monday. The event was organised by Free Press Unlimited (FPU), an international press freedom organisation based in Amsterdam.
Müftüoğlu was recognised by the FPU, which noted she was, “Apprehended by the authorities based on charges of extremism, simply because she and the news agency that she leads expose facts that the authorities prefer to hide.”
As the co-chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), Müftüoğlu has consistently defended her fellow journalists, especially those from the Kurdish community facing persecution.
Müftüoğlu expressed her gratitude for the recognition of her struggle and the struggles of all journalists committed to uncovering the truth in a letter sent to the FPU upon receiving her nomination. In her letter, she wrote, “Working as a journalist in a country like Turkey, where the freedom of the press and freedom of expression are severely oppressed, requires resistance. The path followed without this resilience and dedication, otherwise, would be a path dictated by the government or being a mouthpiece of the ones in power.” She concluded her letter by saying, “The truth will not remain concealed! Free press cannot be silenced!”
The Most Resilient Journalist Award includes a 10,000 euro cash prize, intended to support Müftüoğlu’s family and contribute to her legal defence to secure her release from imprisonment.
Müftüoğlu was arrested in May during a series of operations against Kurdish opposition circles in Turkey, which resulted in the detention of several journalists, activists and lawyers, who were sent to prison pending trial.
