ANKARA -  Dutch journalist-writer Frederike Geerdink, who was deported by the KDP while she was about to cross over into Rojava, stated that while she was being taken to the airport, Turkish music were played and said, "They wanted to give me a message by playing Turkish music."

 

Dutch journalist-writer Frederike Geerdink was detained by the KDP while trying to cross from Hewler city in the Federated Kurdistan Region to Northern and Eastern Syria and was deported. Geerdink announced on Twitter that she was taken to Hewlêr Airport on the night of July 13 to be deported, and wrote, "I have been deported from the Iraqi Kurdistan region." Geerdink, who was exposed to a similar practice in Turkey before, told the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) what she experienced during her deportation.

 

Stating that she thought she could have a little bit trouble passing through KDP area and that's why she went to Slemani Geerdink told that you need to announce you are coming to the border beforehand, e mail your press card and a letter from a magazine or thepaper you work for. Stating that she completed her documents and arrived at the border early in the morning, Geerdink said: "The women who worked there contacted the person who had to give the permission and it was supposed to be ok. She looked at my documents and said everything was fine. So the procedure started. I had two wait endlessly in two rows where I was supposed to get stamps and signatures. It took a copuple of hours. You get a small paper you have to give to the bus driver that takes you across the border. They were just about to give me that paper when someone came and stopped me. Nobody spoke English or didn't want to do so. I did not know what was happening."

 

'I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO GO OUTSIDE'

 

Pointing out that she was asked for a residence permit when she was trying to understand what was going on, Geerdink stated that she told them she came a few days ago and showed them her visa. Underlining that they disregarded the visa, Geerdink said: "They sent me back to the office where the procedure for journalists is started. I had to go back there with my luggage, but I lost the internet connection  so I wanted to go outside next to the other office because there I would have an internet connection and I could talk to my fixer on the other side of the border and to the Dutch consulate because I already felt like there's going to be a little bit troublesome. But they didn't allow me to go outside."

 

'THEY WANTED TO SEND ME IN A THY FLIGHT THROUGH ISTANBUL'

 

Stating that she understood things were going wrong after that, Geerdink said two KDP officials, one of whom was a police officer took her to a car, told that they were take her to the airport and ask some questions. Adding that the KDP officials told her to buy her own plane ticket, Geerdink said: "I told them if they were going to kick me out I wouldn't buy my own ticket. They made me wait in a room for two more hours. Then the Dutch Consulate came and asked me how I was treated. I told him it was Kurdistan, they kick you out but they do it politely. They asked me if I had any problems with flyting with the Turkish Airlines through İstanbul. I told them I didn't have a problem but they might have and stopping there might lead to other problems. Since the consulate was there, they chose another airline."

 

'THEY PLAYED MUSIC IN TURKISH'

 

Underlining that the two KDP officials who took her to the airport and spoke Kurdish among themselves, played Turkish songs in the car, Geerdink said: "I asked them why they were playing Turkish song in Kurdistan. This happened again before in Turkey.They were taking me from Yüksekova to Hakkari and back for some reason in an armoured vehicle. There were armed gendermerie around me. They made me listen to very aggressive fascist Turkish songs to intimidate me or something. Anyway, I am more sad that I could not go to Rojava than I felt sad for being kicked out of Bashur."

 

'I WAS GOING TO WRITE ABOUT THE LIFE IN ROJAVA UNDER THE THREAT OF TURKEY'

 

Pointing out that she wanted to go to Rojava to write about the lives of the people there under the threat of AKP's President Tayyip Erdoğan, following his statements about a possible attack, Geerdink continued as follows: "Erdoğan said they were preparing for an attack against Tel Rifat and Minbic and Kobané could be next since Turkey is already occupying some parts there. So if Turkey would take Tel Rifat and Minbic, Kobané would become very isolated and even more vulnerable. And then SDF could not easily get extra troops and weapons and the population will have to be ready to defend themselves. I was planning to stay there for a few days and see how the people prepare, how they go on with their lives and how they rebuild the city and the life there. That would be my angle. The headline would be 'Turkey wants Kobané'. I was there in 2014 and 2015. I was very much looking forward to go back there and I am really sad I can't go."

 

'KDP DIDN'T WANT ME TO WRITE ABOUT ITS COLLABORATION WITH TURKEY'

 

Pointing out that her deportation is not independent of the AKP-KDP partnership, Geerdink said: “Barzani knows very well what to do and how to please Erdoğan. They are in full partnership, and he knows very well that Erdogan would want me to be put on the 'Persona Non Grata' list and did not want me to write about it. I heard that the KDP officials told the Dutch Consulate 'Fredericke can come here as a tourist if she wants, but she will not be allowed to enter as a journalist'. I am a journalist. It's not something you can switch off. They want people to come to Kurdistan, make a nice trek in the mountains, take pictures with the mountains behind them and share them with the hashtag 'Beautiful Kurdistan'. They do not want news about their partnership with Turkey. They don't want the story out about Turkey killing their citizens in their villages in their in their lands. I am not a tourist. I am a journalist.”

 

'I WILL CONTINUE TO WRITE UNTIL I DIE'

 

Speaking about how her work as a journalist was blocked, Geerdink said: "I said the same thing when they detained me in TUrkey accusing me of propagandising a terrorist organisation'. You cannot tell me who I am. I'm not a propagandist. I'm a journalist and I follow the journalistic rules, those are my guides in my in my work. I am neither a tourist nor a propagandist. It's about my identity and my identity is a journalist.I will keep writing and they will not win. I will continue to write till I die. Maybe then these power structures will still be in place but one day it will go down. And I have to contribute to that with my pen." 

 

'I LEARNED SO MUCH FROM KURDISH JOURNALISTS'

 

Stating that she worked with Kurdish journalists in Diyarbakır for 10 years, Geerdink said: "I learned so much from them about about how to deal with power as a journalist. I knew very little when I came to Turkey. I looked at Turkey through Kurdish eyes. And I got to know many Kurdish colleagues and look at journalism through their eyes. And that has taught me a lot. So, in that spirit, I will continue what I'm doing. So my message for them is only thank you and I will keep spreading what you taught me, and continue to work in that spirit." Geerdink reiterated she is in solidarity with the 16 imprisoned journalists.

 

 

MA/ Gözde Çağrı Özköse