Lissy Schmidt

Lissy Schmidt (ca. 1959 – 3 April 1994), also known by her pseudonyms Milena Ergen and Petra Sert, was a German journalist who worked for the Agence France Presse, Frankfurter Rundschau (Frankfurt), and Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin). She and her driver were both killed in an ambush outside of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, while she was reporting about the Iraqi Kurds. The publication of one of her books in Turkish led to its ban in Turkey and provoked a freedom of expression case in Europe. Schmidt knew two Kurdish-language dialects, Sorani and Kirmanji, and according to Die Zeit newspaper, she was well known among Kurds. She was murdered when she was 35 years old. A monument in her memory was constructed in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Under her pseudonym Milena Ergen, Schmidt published two books on Kurdistan, Tatort Kurdistan (Translated: "Crime Scene Kurdistan") in 1989 and Wie Teuer Ist Die Freiheit? (Translated: How Expensive is Freedom), which was published after her death in 1994. Her latter work was also published posthumously by Turkish publisher Ayşe Nur Zarakolu in Turkish in 1997. 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.

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. Two men were later hanged for her murder.

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.

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.