Veteran Kurdish broadcaster Balên Salih passes away

By Omar Sheikhmous

Death you are going to die
You have ravished our hearts and compelled us to cry
Death you are going to die
You have strangled our loved ones and made us ask why
— Howard “The Motivational Poet” Simon

Dear Friend Balên,

It was only last week we spoke at length about things small and big. We talked about our shared years at the Kurdish Service of Voice of America, reflecting on the strange decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to shut down dozens of U.S.-funded media outlets worldwide, including VOA, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia.

We discussed hopeful developments for Kurds in Syria (Rojava) after the fall of Assad’s oppressive Baathist rule, the promising news of possible peace negotiations between Kurdish groups and the Turkish government, and the defiant Newroz celebrations in Iranian Kurdistan that signaled potential political change. We felt certain that the coming decade would herald a true spring for Kurdish people across the Middle East.

Then came yesterday’s shocking news that you had suddenly left us due to a heart attack. Why did it have to end this way? It feels unfair. It is too soon.

Balên Ahmad Salih was a Kurdish poet, writer and broadcaster. Born in 1961 in Sulaymaniyah, Balên emerged from a prominent family deeply committed to public service and Kurdish cultural life. His father, respected judge Kak Ahmad Salih, and his mother, renowned feminist and champion of women’s rights Ronak Raoof–better known as Ronak Khan–instilled in him a spirit of justice and activism.

In 1982, Balên’s passionate involvement in the underground Kurdish student movement led to his arrest, severe torture, and a death sentence. His life was saved through his father’s intervention.

Professionally, Balên distinguished himself as program chief and international broadcaster for Voice of America’s Kurdish Service, where he was known for his warmth, loyalty, humor, and unwavering generosity. We met first in 2001 when I started to work at VOA as a senior editor for the Kurdish Service. We, immediately, became very close friends.

Earlier, he worked alongside Mam Jalal Talabani, founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and former president of Iraq.

Balên’s eldest brother, Dr. Barham Salih, was former president of Iraq and former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Bateen, his younger brother, is a prominent business figure. His sister, Nakhshin, was married to Bakhtiar Ahmad Rafiq, a very close friend of mine and noted entrepreneur from Sulaymaniyah.

Balên is survived by his beloved wife Golzar, a sociologist, and two daughters, Șênê and Sunê, named after villages in the Qaladze region that heroically resisted Saddam Hussein’s forced deportations in 1978.

Omar Sheikhmous is a veteran Kurdish politician and former chief of Voice of America’s Kurdish Service.