User:Mewoodruff/Leyla Yildizhan

Leyla Yildizhan (DAY MONTH YEAR – 8 August 2014), better known by her pen name Deniz Firat, was a Turkish freelance journalist for the Firat News Agency who was reporting on the PKK in the Makhmur District, Iraq when she was hit by shrapnel from a mortar shell fire by ISIS troops and killed.

Personal
Leyla Yildizhan comes from Çaldıran, Van Province, Turkey, and was buried in her home town after her death.

Career
Leyla Yildizhan worked as a freelance journalist and her coverage from the frontlines of Kurdistan appeared on many news outlets. She worked for several news outlets, such as Sterk TV, Med NUÇE, and Ronahi TV.

Death
Leyla Yildizhan was killed by 8 pieces of mortar shrapnel that hit her, one of which hit her in the heart. Before her funeral in Turkey, medical staff conducted an autopsy.

Context
Syrian Kurdish–Islamist conflict (2013–present)

Impact
The safety of journalists reporting in Iraq has decreased since the start of the conflicts. Yildizhan was one of over thirty journalists killed while reporting in 2014.

Reactions
Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, said "it is essential that all parties involved in the conflict in the region respect the civilian status of journalists and their right to carry out their professional duties in safe conditions."

The head of UNESCO in Iraq made the following statement. "The safety of journalists working in conflict zones and even in safer areas is seriously at risk. More effective measures are required to protect them so that they can perform their duty of informing the Iraqi people and the international community of the evolving situation in Iraq. Freedom of expression and access to information are basic rights that must be uphold, in particular in times of conflict and in war zones where journalists often risk their lives to provide accurate and timely information”, added the Director of UNESCO Office for Iraq. “In this critical situation, citizens, policy makers and the international community rely heavily on journalists. Any attack against journalists and media institutions is intolerable and must be firmly punished."