Kurdish Poet and Writer Diya Jwan Passes Away
ARK News.. A prominent Kurdish poet, writer, and political leader Diya Jwan passed away, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, after a battle with a severe illness at Vin Hospital in Duhok, Kurdistan Region.
Her funeral was taken place at the Delbi Cemetery in Duhok, where she was laid to rest.
A Glimpse into Diya Jwan’s Life
Born in 1953 in Sirte, Botan District, in Turkish Kurdistan, Diya Jwan migrated to Syrian Kurdistan in 1966. She married that same year and became a mother to six children. In 1975, she moved to the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Diya Jwan joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Syria (KDP-S) in her youth, quickly rising through the ranks to become the first woman to hold a seat on the party’s Central Committee during its 10th and 11th congresses.
Her journey in literature and culture began early, with a focus on poetry, storytelling, and theater in the Kurdish language. Raised in a patriotic and intellectually enriched family, she learned to read and write Kurdish at home. Over her career, she published 14 poetry collections and remained resilient in the face of persecution and pressure from the former Ba'ath regime in Syria, which targeted intellectuals, writers, and activists.
Amidst the turmoil of the Syrian revolution in 2011, Jwan sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region. On the recommendation of President Masoud Barzani, she was transferred to Ankara, Turkey, for medical treatment.
Diya Jwan’s legacy will live on through her literary works and her unwavering commitment to Kurdish culture, identity, and the just cause of her people.
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