This Fire Never Dies – published in 2021
This Fire Never Dies (published as ‘Dit vuur dooft nooit’ in the Netherlands) details the year I spent embedded with the PKK. I was the first independent journalist to stay with the PKK for such an extensive period of time. I decided to take on this journalistic project after I was expelled from Turkey because of my reporting on the Kurdish issue. My involuntary departure turned into a continuation of my work in Turkey — and a new journey. Continue reading »
Dit vuur dooft nooit – published in 2018
Published in May 2018 in the Netherlands, ‘This fire never dies’ details the year I spent embedded with the PKK. I was the first independent journalist to stay with the PKK for such an extensive period of time. I decided to take on this journalistic project after I was expelled from Turkey because of my reporting on the Kurdish issue.
‘Dit vuur dooft nooit’ was longlisted for the prize for best journalistic book. Continue reading »
Hope became a dream – published in 2019
Like Turkey, Iraq is consistently ranked poorly for press freedom. Journalists are kidnapped and murdered. There are taboo topics no reporter can publish about, and the sectarianism of Iraqi politics, which is closely entwined with the country’s media, makes it nearly impossible to work independently. Continue reading »
Bans, jails and shameless lies – published in 2016
Published in 2016. On one hand, the story of press freedom in Turkey is extremely brief: it just doesn’t exist. But on the other, it reveals a complex knot of undemocratic laws, feeble journalistic traditions and huge economic and political interests that are hard to disentangle. ‘Bans, jails and shameless lies’ is the first book to reveal the mechanisms behind the system. Continue reading »
The boys are dead – published in 2015
On the evening of December 28, 2011, the Turkish air force bombed a group of Kurdish smugglers, consisting of mostly underaged boys, close to the village of Roboski. In the incident, 34 people were killed. The Turkish authorities promised a full and fair investigation into the massacre, but nothing of the sort took place. Dutch journalist Frederike Geerdink visited Roboski and began asking questions about the incident. Continue reading »
De jongens zijn dood – published in 2014
Genomineerd voor de Brusseprijs voor het beste journalistieke boek.
Op 28 December 2011 kwamen bij een bombardement door het Turkse leger bij het dorpje Roboski in Zuidoost-Turkije 34 merendeels minderjarige burgers om het leven. De slachtoffers bleken smokkelaars. De Turkse regering bezwoer het bloedbad grondig te onderzoeken, maar daar kwam niets van terecht. Continue reading »
Gençler öldü (Turkish version of ‘The boys are dead) – published in 2015
2015’te yayıldı. Roboskî’de 28 Aralık 2011 akşamı daha çok gençlerden ve çocuklardan oluşan 34 kişi bombalanarak öldürüldü. Katliama yönelik eksiksiz ve adil bir soruşturma yürütüldüğüne dair ciddi şüpheler doğdu, siyasi ve askerî sorumlular bir türlü ortaya çıkarılamadı, olay âdeta unutulmaya bırakıldı. Continue reading »
Arabic version of ‘The boys are dead’ – published in 2018
The Arabic translation of ‘The boys are dead’ was published by the established publisher Dar Al Farabi in Lebanon. Continue reading »
Blad voor de mond – published in 2016
For this Dutch book about press freedom worldwide, published in 2016, I wrote the chapter about Turkey. Other stories are about press freedom limitations in Iran, Kenya, the Gulf Region, South-America, China, Russia, and other countries all written by Dutch correspondents who know the local situation well. Continue reading »
Kinderen die de wereld hebben veranderd – published in 2014
For this Dutch book about childrens’ rights (‘Children who changed the world’ in English), I wrote the chapter about Arshalus Mardiganian, a young woman who survived the Armenian genocide in 1915 in what is now Turkey. Continue reading »