Sitara Thalia Ambrosio

Photojournalist and Visual Storyteller.

Glimpse of Hope

Location: Hanover

Nationality: german

Biography: Her focus is international on gender issues, migration, human rights violations, EU borders and conflicts. Her clients include the NZZ am Sonntag, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Veto Magazin, der Spiegel, Rhein Neckar Zeitung and many more. She... MORE

Focus: Photographer, Photojournalist, Politics, Environment, Documentary, Multimedia, Photography, Foreign, Portraiture, Freelance, Humanitarian, Impact, Assignments, Human Rights, International, Multimedia Journalist, Magazine, Editorial, Publications, Newspapers, Storyteller, Climate, Visual Editor, Political Journalism, Digital Journalism, Print Journalism, Environmental Stories, International Stories, Digital Media, Portrait Photography, Reportage

View of the landscape around La...ticularly felt, water is power.

View of the landscape around Lake Dukan (Deryaçeya Dûkan in Kurdish). The lake is located in the Kurdistan Region near the city of Ranya, east of Erbil. The reservoir on the river Little Zab, was formed by the construction of the Dukan Dam. As a multipurpose dam, it is built for water storage, irrigation and power generation. In the heat of the Middle East, where climate change can be particularly felt, water is power.

Since 1992, Turkey has repeatedly attacked the region militarily. According to Turkey, the official targets are the PKK's bases. However, the attacks also repeatedly result in civilian casualties. The two parties, the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (PDK) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), are loyal to Turkey and have a lot of influence on politics and the economy, according to local activists. For this reason, local Kurdish youth repeatedly organize protests.

Hazar Jaf, an elderly Kurd, rea... an Iranian book while driving.

Hazar Jaf, an elderly Kurd, reads poetry aloud from an Iranian book while driving.

In the middle of the barren lan... barren sand colored landscape.

In the middle of the barren landscape between the mountains, the demonstration pauses at two large rocks where speeches are held. The colorfully painted rocks have an important meaning for the Kurdish freedom movement. The colorful dresses of the Kurds decorate the barren sand colored landscape.

A participant of the demonstrat...eckpoint run by the gorvenment.

A participant of the demonstration sits on a stone by the roadside. Military units of the government that is protested against close the road hindering activists to reach a checkpoint run by the gorvenment.

Women from the Kurdish liberati...on with the Turkish government.

Women from the Kurdish liberation movement are in the first rows of a demonstration of the so-called "Long March". They shout "Öcalan" again and again, expressing their solidarity with the leader and founding member of the workers' party "PKK". The demonstration opposes the ruling parties of the autonomous region of Kurdistan for collaboration with the Turkish government.

Participants of the demonstrati...eckpoint run by the gorvenment.

Participants of the demonstration stand at the PDK checkpoint, in the middle of the desert. Military units of the government that is protested against close the road hindering activists to reach a checkpoint run by the gorvenment.

Weapons from the time of Saddam... Suraka Museum in Sulaymaniyah.

Weapons from the time of Saddam Hussein are on display at the Amna Suraka Museum in Sulaymaniyah.

Maria (17) sits on the floor of...beration movement logistically.

Maria (17) sits on the floor of her parents' home. She is not a Kurdish activist herself, but a sympathizer and supporter. Amongst the population of the autonomous region of Kurdistan there is some that support the struggle of the Kurdish Liberation movement logistically.

The Kandil Mountains, one of the most important retreats of the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization in numerous countries. The "Kandils," an area of around 50 square kilometers, are organized according to the principles of Democratic Confederalism - a concept of Abdullah Öcalan that is also considered a guiding political concept in the northern Syrian regions of Rojava.

In one of the community centers...erent units decorate the walls.

In one of the community centers among the mountains of Kandisl, pictures of fighters from different units decorate the walls.

Portrait of Sozam Mushir Jalal,... in a bomb attack on her house.

Portrait of Sozam Mushir Jalal, 42 years old. In December 2007 she lost her left leg in a bomb attack on her house.

A cemetery in the Kandil Mounta...pt of Abdullah Öcalan.

A cemetery in the Kandil Mountains. About 1000 dead are buried here, including both fighters and activists of the Kurdish Liberation Movement.
The Kandil Mountains are located in the north of Iraq, on the border with Iran, just under 100 kilometers south of the Turkish border - in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan.
Kandil is politically independent of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan and the Iraqi government in Baghdad. It is considered a "liberated region" and is also organized according to the principle of Democratic Confederalism-a concept of Abdullah Öcalan.

A cemetery in the Kandil Mountains.

Portrait of Awaz Ismail, mayor ...ucivism for important offices.

Portrait of Awaz Ismail, mayor of "Kandil" region.
She shares her political post equally with a man. This is a requirement of democratic conducivism for important offices.

People in the Kandil region als...re cultivated for this purpose.

People in the Kandil region also grow their own vegetables. Fields are cultivated for this purpose.

A place in the Kandil region th...ll lie in the same place today.

A place in the Kandil region that was the target of a bomb attack in 2015. Several houses were destroyed in the process. The private belongings of the 12 dead still lie in the same place today.

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Thumbnail of View of the landscape around Lak_rticularly felt, water is power.

Thumbnail of Hazar Jaf, an elderly Kurd, read_m an Iranian book while driving.

Thumbnail of In the middle of the barren land_e barren sand colored landscape.

Thumbnail of A participant of the demonstrati_heckpoint run by the gorvenment.

Thumbnail of Women from the Kurdish liberatio_ion with the Turkish government.

Thumbnail of Participants of the demonstratio_heckpoint run by the gorvenment.

Thumbnail of Weapons from the time of Saddam _a Suraka Museum in Sulaymaniyah.

Thumbnail of Maria (17) sits on the floor of _iberation movement logistically.

Thumbnail of In one of the community centers _ferent units decorate the walls.

Thumbnail of Portrait of Sozam Mushir Jalal, _g in a bomb attack on her house.

Thumbnail of A cemetery in the Kandil Mountai_ept of Abdullah Öcalan.

Thumbnail of A cemetery in the Kandil Mountains.

Thumbnail of Portrait of Awaz Ismail, mayor o_ducivism for important offices.

Thumbnail of People in the Kandil region also_are cultivated for this purpose.

Thumbnail of A place in the Kandil region tha_ill lie in the same place today.

Public Story

Glimpse of Hope

Updated Aug 2022

Location South Kurdistan / Irak

Topics Spotlight

Glimpse of Hope

The Kurdish people have been persecuted, chased and murdered throughout history. What has always served as a glimpse of hope throughout dark times, is the dream that Kurdish people have the freedom to live their culture, speak their language and build a community under their ideals. In small regions in the Middle East, the Kurdish liberation movement has been able to establish this. One of those is in northern Iraq.

The autonomous region of Kurdistan has its own government and a standing corps, the Peshmerga. Within the autonomous region of Kurdistan lay the politically independent Kandil mountains, known as the place of retreat of the Kurdish Workers’ party PKK that is viewed as a terror organisation by many Western states. Here people live under the ideals formulated by Abdullah Öcalan. All this utopia is shaken by internal and external conflicts. The Kandil mountains are targets of Turkish military operations also killing civilians. The Kurdish liberation movement accuses the autonomous region of Kurdistan to tolerate and support this. The struggle therefore continues and the death tolls amongst Kurds keeps rising.

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