Kurdish region

With VOA silenced, Kurdish region loses a key source of independent news

VOA Kurdish journalists Balen Saleh and Herow Rahim record “View from Washington,” a TV show about U.S. politics. VOA journalists were placed on administrative leave on March 15. Show host Saleh (left), who died of a heart attack at age 63 on March 30, had a deep commitment to VOA’s mission, his coworkers said.

For more than three decades, Voice of America’s Kurdish Service provided news to millions of Kurds around the world, primarily in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran, but also in Europe and North America.

In addition to presenting the news, the service embodied America’s belief that truth, when spoken freely, is stronger than propaganda or fear. It gave people in remote parts of the region an understanding — sometimes for the first time — that there is a world where honest information is not a crime.

But when President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 14 that effectively began dismantling VOA, the agency lost its Kurdish audience. Before the order, the Kurdish Service was broadcasting 68.1 hours of audio and video reports a week in two Kurdish dialects: Sorani and Kurmanji. Now, there are no more broadcasts and no digital content. The loss is immeasurable.

The service reached several million people each week, helping its audience to understand world events, democratic values and U.S. policy through accurate and independent journalism. It regularly brought news to its Kurdish-speaking audience about the U.S. military’s involvement in Iraq and Syria as well as U.S. support for Kurdish forces in the region fighting ISIS.

The service reached communities that have long been marginalized and amplified voices that are rarely heard. It was one of the few truly independent sources of news in the Kurdish language.

In its purest form, VOA’s Kurdish Service was a showcase of democracy in a part of the world that often aspires to it. A free press can lead to policy changes that benefit the people. And the Kurdish Service made that happen. Here are two examples:

• A VOA radio show that focused on workers’ rights and workplace safety led to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq creating new policy directives to improve safety and health monitors for workers.

• A VOA TV report played a decisive role in preventing the destruction of approximately 150,000 fruit trees in the Garmian area of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the loss of livelihoods of local farmers.

In the absence of VOA’s Kurdish Service, the information space has been dominated by state-controlled or politically-affiliated media outlets. Some are linked to regional governments and factions within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, others are foreign state broadcasters such as Iran’s Sahar TV and Turkey’s TRT Kurdi.

These outlets either promote government viewpoints or avoid sensitive political topics. As a result, large parts of the Kurdish-speaking population, particularly those in rural or conflict-affected areas, are now stuck in an environment where independent and verified information is scarce, and propaganda and misinformation fill the void.

VOA Kurdish articles published online per week

Publishing on VOA Kurdish websites ceased following the president’s March executive order.

Kurdish Language Service

According to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy’s 2024 annual report:

“[In addition to an array of TV programs,] VOA Kurdish also produces multimedia content for digital platforms streamed on both of its websites (Kurmanji and Sorani). The service’s audience consists of Kurds living in the Middle East, Eurasia, Europe, and North America. Audience research indicates that the broadcasts are popular among listeners in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Türkiye.”

Source: 2024 Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting

Newroz Rasho reporting for VOA in the Shahba refugee camp in northern Syria. She was covering Afrin residents displaced by a Turkish invasion of their city and was the only journalist from an international media outlet to report on the situation.

Press freedom situation, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

SeriousGood

Press Freedom: Kurdish region

In authoritarian regimes, marginalized communities are often cut off from language, culture and representation and targeted for attack or jail.

For Kurds — who make up one of the world’s largest ethnic groups without a state — discrimination, censorship and political oppression can make accessing relevant news in their own language a challenge.

With an estimated population of around 30 million, Kurds are concentrated in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. As well as challenges such as discrimination or political pressure, the situation for media freedom in all four countries is ranked as “very serious” on the World Press Freedom Index. Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the index, puts Syria and Iran, for instance, among the top five worst countries for media.

Local journalism in these regions is already challenging, but for Kurdish outlets, the risks are even greater. At least 10 Kurdish journalists are currently imprisoned for their work across Turkey, Iran, and Iraq, according to the latest data by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Most face anti-state charges or accusations of supporting terrorist organizations. In Turkey, for example, the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) is designated a terror group by Turkey and the U.S. This has led to some news sources in Turkey being scrutinized under the suspicion of being affiliated with the PKK.

For the audiences in these countries, where the media risks censorship or must navigate powerful political influences. VOA’s broadcasts provided a unique service: truly independent news delivered in Kurdish. For a widely dispersed people, marginalized and long denied autonomy, language and culture, access to information that speaks directly to them offers a powerful voice of democracy in some of the most restricted countries in the world.

RSF rankings 2025

Syria: 177 / 180 countries
Iran: 176 / 180
Turkey: 159 / 180
Iraq: 155 / 180

Contact your representatives

If you are a U.S. citizen and believe there is value in Voice of America — particularly if you have a personal story about listening to or watching VOA — please reach out to your representatives in Congress to encourage them to allow VOA to continue its vital mission of delivering truth to the world. We've simplified the process by creating a page to help you find their contact information and by creating a sample script of what to say.
Find out more

Missed opportunities

Major stories VOA was unable to cover because of the effort to shut it down.

PKK ceasefire and disarmament announcement

In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared a ceasefire and disarmament as part of a new peace process with Turkey, a historic turning point after decades of conflict. If the VOA Kurdish Service had been operating, it would have dispatched reporters to cover the event live, interviewed residents and featured balanced analysis from both sides of the issue. The coverage would have helped audiences across the region to understand the implications of the peace process. Without it, Kurdish-speaking audiences are left with limited and partisan narratives.

Arrest of a prominent Kurdish political figure

A major political crisis erupted in Sulaymaniyah, where prominent Kurdish politician Lahur Talabani — a former PUK member and founder of the “People’s Front” party — was arrested, triggering violent clashes that left several people dead and many others injured. Had the VOA Kurdish Service been operating, it would have sent reporters to the scene to provide live-stream coverage and conducted interviews with officials and independent observers. In the absence of VOA Kurdish, coverage of the event was polarized and incomplete — with PUK-aligned media defending the arrest and opposition outlets limiting their reporting out of fear of reprisal.

Negotiations between Kurdish forces and the Syrian interim government

Ongoing negotiations between Kurdish-led forces and the interim government in Damascus carry historic significance, as any outcome will directly shape the future political and security status of Kurds in Syria. If the VOA Kurdish Service were reporting, it would have assigned its correspondents in northeastern Syria to provide on-the-ground updates, conducted interviews with negotiators and analysts, and provided balanced coverage of both Kurdish administration and Syrian government perspectives. In the absence of VOA, coverage of these sensitive negotiations has been dominated by partisan local media.

TV and radio from the Kurdish service

Before VOA was largely silenced, the Kurdish Service was broadcasting 68.1 hours of audio and video reports each week in addition to posting stories on its website and its social media pages.

View from Washington (Cawi Washington) A 40-minute weekly TV program airing primetime on Fridays via NRT, a USAGM affiliate in Northern Iraq. The program delves into pressing U.S. policy issues, featuring discussion, analyses and interviews.
7 Colors (Heftreng) A 30-minute biweekly TV magazine show in the Kurmanji dialect airing on local television station NRT2. From in-depth artist profiles to global cultural trends, the show offers a visually rich and intellectually engaging journey through the diverse expressions of creativity worldwide.
Echo (Zayele) A biweekly 30-minute TV cultural magazine program in the Sorani dialect that airs on NRT2 television station in northern Iraq.
Today’s Topic A daily 50-minute radio magazine show that discusses relevant topics across the region. It airs on VOA FM waves in Iraqi Kurdistan, several cities in southern Iraq, and on shortwave radio in the rest of the region, as well as on VOA Kurdish websites and social media platforms.

At the time of the March 15 shutdown, VOA's Kurdish Service employed 11 full-time employees, 10 contractors and a network of stringers.

Timeline of VOA’s Kurdish Service

April 1992

VOA Kurdish Service begins broadcasting

VOA airs one fifteen-minute radio segment a day, broadcasting in Kurmanji and Sorani.

May 1994 – September 1998

Intra-Kurdish civil war

In mid-1994, an armed conflict erupts between the two main parties in Iraqi Kurdistan: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This civil war ends four years later through U.S. mediation led by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, culminating in the Washington Agreement.
The VOA Kurdish Service serves as the primary source of independent information for Kurdish audiences and conducts exclusive interviews with U.S. officials and Kurdish leaders. It also plays a role in promoting peace by emphasizing the human and political costs of the conflict.

February 15, 1999

Arrest of leader of the PKK

When Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), is arrested in Kenya and transferred to Turkey, VOA’s Kurdish Service becomes one of the main independent sources of news about the event for Kurdish-speaking audiences worldwide. The service reports on the regional implications of the arrest and broadcasts multiple perspectives, including those of the Turkish government and Kurdish political figures.

April 9, 2003

Fall of Baghdad during the US-led invasion of Iraq

Baghdad falls to U.S. and coalition forces, marking the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s government. VOA’s Kurdish Service provides continuous coverage throughout the Iraq War, including live updates and expert analysis in both Sorani and Kurmanji. The service helps Kurdish audiences to understand the military and political dimensions of the war and its consequences for Iraq and the broader Middle East.

January 30, 2005

First democratic parliamentary elections take place in Iraq

Following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq holds its first democratic parliamentary elections, the first such vote since the country’s founding in 1921. The VOA Kurdish Service plays a key role in explaining the democratic process and emphasizing the importance of free elections and peaceful political participation as an alternative to violence and conflict.

October 15, 2005

Ratification of the Iraqi Constitution

Iraqi citizens vote in a national referendum to ratify the country’s new constitution, which lays the foundation for a federal system that recognizes the Kurdistan Region as an autonomous entity within Iraq. The Kurdish Service covers the drafting process, the referendum and the debates surrounding it, providing Kurdish audiences with accurate and accessible information on the implications of the new constitution

June 10, 2014

ISIS captures Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city

The fall of Mosul to the Islamic State (ISIS) sends shockwaves throughout Iraq and the wider region. During the ensuing war against ISIS, VOA’s Kurdish Service provides unmatched coverage of the conflict across Iraq and Syria. With war stringers on the frontlines, the service becomes a primary source of credible, real-time information not only for Kurdish audiences but also for other VOA language services and newsrooms.

January 27, 2015

Liberation of Kobani, a turning point in war

After months of fierce fighting, Kurdish forces, supported by U.S. airstrikes, liberate the city of Kobani in northern Syria from ISIS. The victory becomes a major symbolic and strategic turning point in the war.
The Kurdish Service provides comprehensive coverage of the event through analysis, interviews with regional experts and reports from U.S. officials. Its reporting helps Kurdish audiences understand the scale and significance of U.S. involvement in the battle.

September 25, 2017

Kurdistan Region independence referendum

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq holds a unilateral referendum on independence. According to official results, more than 92% of voters support secession from Iraq. However, the Iraqi government and most of the international community rejects the referendum’s legality.
The VOA Kurdish Service provides extensive coverage of the process and aftermath, ensuring Kurdish audiences have access to accurate reporting and diverse opinions, including the U.S. and international perspectives on this sensitive issue.

March 23, 2019

Liberation of Baghouz, the last ISIS stronghold in Syria

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announce the liberation of Baghouz, marking the final territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria.
Through its war stringer on the ground, VOA’s Kurdish Service delivers exclusive footage and breaking news coverage of the battle’s conclusion, reporting directly from the field and providing Kurdish audiences, as well as VOA’s newsroom, with firsthand, verified updates.

March 15, 2025

After 33 years of service, VOA Kurdish programming goes dark

USAGM, led by Trump appointee Kari Lake, ceases all VOA programming, forbids journalists from reporting the news, and places more than 1,300 workers on administrative leave.

Voices of support

“From my perspective as the former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command, Voice of America was a critical tool that reached populations in which the organizations I led were operating. … Voice of America is a beacon of American ideals and truthfulness.”

Ret. Gen. Joseph Votel
Former commander, U.S. Central Command

“My sister Hadis was shot multiple times by police during a peaceful protest in September 2022 following the murder of Mahsa Amini by the authorities. She [Hadis] was only 22 years old when she was murdered. … [VOA] has been essential in amplifying my cry for justice. … I can confidently say that [VOA] is one of the few media outlets that presents the truth without censorship or bias.”

Afsoon Najafi
Sister of slain Iranian protester

“USAGM's closure will clear the path for adversarial nations, particularly China, to seize the opportunity to enhance their state-run media presence. With the end of U.S. broadcasts not only in Iran but throughout the Middle East, we will witness a shift toward pro-China and pro-Iran messaging throughout the region, expanding their influence and further eroding U.S. influence.”

— Kuwait City, Kuwait
Diplomatic cable

“As someone who has lived on several occasions in countries where the government controls the news and information very closely, having an alternative fact-based source for news and information is very important. It’s important to the people who are there, and it’s important to Americans who want to do business with countries like that.”

John Erath
Former U.S. diplomat