URGENT PRESS RELEASE
20.12.2024
Turkey kills two Kurdish journalists in Northern Syria
Kurdish journalists Nazim Daştan and Cîhan Bilgin were killed on December 19, 2024, in a Turkish drone strike while traveling on a road in the Sirrin (Sarin) district of the Kobani (Kobanê) canton in northeastern Syria. They were returning from a report on recent developments at the Tishreen Dam, where there had been intense clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish army, along with the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). This violence is part of Turkey’s efforts to penetrate the city of Kobani, known for its historical resistance against ISIS.
“One of the reasons why our journalist friends were targeted today was the brutality of the Turkish state that wants to eliminate all the voices of the free press that report the truth. The Turkish state has a problem with the existence of free thoughts and writing.” says Kurdish journalist Stêrk Gulo, based in Qamishli (Qamişlo), North East Syria.
Initial reports indicate that both journalists were killed instantly when a Turkish drone struck their vehicle, while the driver sustained serious injuries. Nazim Daştan and Cîhan Bilgin had been reporting daily for the free Kurdish press from the war zone in northern Syria for years, covering Turkey’s occupation policies against the Kurdish population and other communites in the region.
Videos circulating in Turkey-affiliated media appear to show the aftermath of the attack, including a burning car and a lifeless body at the roadside.
This is not the first time this year that Kurdish journalists have been killed by Turkish drones. In June, the Yazidi journalist Murad Mîrza Ibrahim was killed by a drone in the northern Iraqi region of Şengal (Sinjar). Less than a month later, on August 23, Kurdish journalists Gulîstan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn were also killed in a drone strike in Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah) in northern Iraq.
