Lissy Schmidt

Lissy Schmidt (ca. 1959 – 3 April 1994), also known by her pseudonyms Milena Ergen and Petra Sert,[1] was a German journalist who worked for the Agence France Presse, Frankfurter Rundschau (Frankfurt), and Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin).[2] She and her driver were both killed in an ambush outside of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, while she was reporting about the Iraqi Kurds.[2][3][4] The publication of one of her books in Turkish led to its ban in Turkey and provoked a freedom of expression case in Europe.[5]

Lissy Schmidt
Bornca. 1959
Died3 April 1994 (Age 35)
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
NationalityGerman
Other namesMilena Ergen & Petra Sert
OccupationJournalist
Years activesince the 1980s
EmployerAgence France Presse, Frankfurter Rundschau, and Der Tagesspiegel
Known forher reports on Kurds in Turkey and Iraq
Notable work
Tatort Kurdistan,
Wie Teuer Ist Die Freiheit

Personal

Lissy Schmidt was from Wiesbaden, Germany.[3] She was a member of Pax Christi in Limburg and founded chapters in Wiesbaden and Idstein.[6][7] Schmidt knew two Kurdish-language dialects, Sorani and Kirmanji, and according to Die Zeit newspaper, she was well-known among Kurds.[8] She was murdered when she was 35 years old.[9] A monument in her memory was constructed in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.[3]

Career

Lissy Schmidt worked for Agence France Presse, Frankfurter Rundschau, and Der Tagesspiegel.[2] Before reporting from Iraq, she had reported on Kurdish issues in Turkey for Frankfurter Rundschau. She had been assigned by the AFP to work in Kurdish Iraq on Kurdish issues and had been based there since 1991.[9][10] Under her pseudonym Milena Ergen, Schmidt published two books on Kurdistan, Tatort Kurdistan (Translated: "Crime Scene Kurdistan") in 1989[11] and Wie Teuer Ist Die Freiheit? (Translated: How Expensive is Freedom), which was published after her death in 1994.[12] Her latter work was also published posthumously by Turkish publisher Ayşe Nur Zarakolu in Turkish in 1997.[13][14] The Turkish government banned Schmidt's book and pressed charges against Zarakolu, although Zarakolu died while the case was in progress before the European Commission of Human Rights.[5][15]

Death

Lissy Schmidt was killed along with Aziz Kadir Farag, her driver and bodyguard, on 3 April 1994 when a car with a driver and an armed attacker passed their vehicle and the perpetrator shot into their car.[10]

The Independent (UK) reported that two Iraqi men later confessed to their Iraqi Kurdish interrogators that they killed Lissy Schmidt and her driver because their family members were held captive and the Iraqi government ordered them to kill the foreigners to ensure the protection of their loved ones.[16] Two men were later hanged for her murder.[3]

Context

The United States accused the Iraqi government of putting prices on the killing of foreigners in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.[9] The month before Schmidt's murder, two Swedish reporters were injured after a bomb exploded in their empty car and two Czechs and two Austrians were injured by other attacks. Two other UN guards were injured two days after Schmidts murder.[4][17][18]

Impact

The murder of German journalists does not occur frequently but Schmidt is part of a growing number to have been killed in conflicts abroad.[19]

Reactions

German politician Angelika Beer wore ribbons in her hair of the Kurdish national colors in honor of her friend Lissy Schmidt and for this was criticized by the Turkish government while on an official visit.[20]

See also

References
  1. "Lissy Schmidt Collection". International Institute of Social History.
  2. "Lissy Schmidt". Committee to Protect Journalists. April 3, 1994. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  3. "Die Ermordung der Lissy Schmidt" (in German). Medico. 2001. Archived from the original on 2013-07-01.
  4. Newsday (April 15, 1994). "Hussein had been stepping up pressure on Kurds prior to accident". Milwaukee Journal. p. A8. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  5. Fernandes, Desmond (Spring–Summer 2010). "Launch of 'Friends of Belge': An Appeal for Solidarity". Variant (UK).
  6. "Newsletter" (PDF). Pax Christi International Newsletter. May 1994. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  7. "Friedensgebet in der Nikolai-Kirche in Brandenburg/Havel" (in German). Pax Christi. May 6, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  8. Wali, Shahow (October 14, 1994). "Eine Freundin Verloren". Die Zeit. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  9. Elsner, Alan (April 7, 1994). "Iraq offers bounty on foreigners, says US". The Age (Melbourne).
  10. Pope, Hugh (April 5, 1994). "Iraq accused over murder of German reporter". Independent (UK).
  11. Ergen (a.k.a., Lissy Schmidt), Milena (1989). Tatort Kurdistan (in German) (1. Aufl. ed.). Idstein: KOMZI. ISBN 3928082019.
  12. Ergen (a.k.a., Lissy Schmidt), Milena (1994). Wie Teuer Ist Die Freiheit? : Reportagen aus der selbstverwalteten kurdischen Region 1991-93 (in German) (Orig.-Ausg., 1. Aufl. ed.). Köln: ISP. ISBN 3929008564.
  13. Corley, Felix (February 14, 2002). "Obituary: Ayşe Nur Zarakolu". Independent (UK).
  14. Schmidt, Lissie (1994). Özgürlüğün bedeli : Kendi yönetimini kuran Kürt Bölgesinden röportajlar 1991-1993 (in Turkish). Istanbul: Belge. OCLC 84689732.
  15. "ZARAKOLU v. TURKEY". European Commission of Human Rights. December 5, 2002.
  16. "Killers 'acted on Iraqi orders'". Independent (UK). April 13, 1994.
  17. Cockburn, Patrick; Pope, Hugh (April 15, 1994). "26 Killed Over Iraq". Ottawa Citizen.
  18. Dommen, Arthur J. (April 24, 1994). "Reporters Keep Faith With Kurds in Iraq". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  19. "Hintergrund: Zehn deutsche Journalisten seit 1979 in Konfliktgebieten getötet". Der Spiegel (in German). November 12, 2001. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  20. "Der Zopf bleibt". Der Spiegel (in German). February 5, 2001. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
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