FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Two Journalists Killed in Turkish Drone Attack Near Silemanî, Southern Kurdistan
23 AUGUST, Silemanî, Southern Kurdistan (North Iraq) –
In a tragic escalation of violence against free press, two women journalists were killed when a Turkish drone targeted a vehicle carrying members of the media in the Seyidsadiq district of Silemanî/Sulaymaniyah. The vehicle, belonging to the Cira/Chatra media company, was en route to record a documentary when it was bombed.
Kemal Heme Reza, General Manager of Chatr Production Company, made a press statement and said “the Turkish state undoubtedly carried out this attack, which resulted in the martyrdom of two journalists, as a result of local and intelligence intervention.”
The deceased journalists, Gulistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn, were dedicated journalists. Their commitment to reporting the truth and documenting the realities of life in Kurdistan and the broader region has been widely recognized, with numerous articles attributed to their names.
In commemoration of Gulistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn, the Free Women’s Press (RAJIN) stated: “we will make the struggle of Gulistan and all the martyrs of the free press the basis of our work in the struggle for a free and equal life. Their struggle will be strength, faith and the light of truth for us. The free press will never step back from its struggle to be the voice of truth despite all the attacks, pressures and arrests that try to silence the truth.”
In addition to the fatalities, one journalist, Rêbîn Bekir, is currently fighting for his life after sustaining severe injuries in the attack. Rêbîn, who is 30 years old and a resident of Sulaymaniyah, was transferred to a local hospital after the attack and is receiving urgent medical treatment. Six other journalists were also injured in this brutal assault.
Deputy Kurdistan Region Government PM Talabani, who is a leadership member of the PUK, accused Turkey of violating Iraq’s sovereignty. “The killing of these two journalists is an inexcusable crime and is against all sorts of laws and international norms. We strongly condemn it. Additionally, it is a stark violation of Iraqi territorial sovereignty,” he said in his statement, calling on Baghdad and the international community to “put a limit on these violations that have become a serious threat to the lives of Kurdistan Region’s civilians.”
This attack is part of a disturbing pattern of targeted violence against journalists in the region, as Turkey has increasingly employed drone strikes to eliminate individuals it deems as ‘enemies’. Journalist and author Nagihan Akarsel was murdered outside her home in Silêmanî in October 2022. ANHA correspondent Isam Abdullah was killed in November 2022 in a wave of Turkish air strikes in Dêrik. In 2023, a Jin TV vehicle was bombed by a Turkish drone in northern Syria. The driver Necmeddîn Feysel Hec Sînan was killed, while the correspondent Delîla Egîd suffered serious injuries. Her left arm was shredded and had to be amputated in an emergency operation. In July 2024, Murad Mîrza Ibrahim, an employee of the Yezidi radio station Çira FM, was killed as a result of a drone attack in the Şengal region in north-western Iraq. Journalist Medya Hasan Kemal from Çira TV and employee Xelef Xidir were injured in the attack.
In a recent report, the Community Peacemaker Teams, a human rights organization and conflict monitor tracking Turkish operations in the Kurdistan Region, revealed that between January and July of 2024, Turkish forces have conducted 1076 attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan. This includes over 110 drone strikes this year alone, with many resulting in fatalities. The international community has largely turned a blind eye to this ongoing war against the people of Kurdistan.
The Turkey-based pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) condemned the killing of the two journalists as part of a broader campaign of repression against free press:“we know very well that targeting a vehicle carrying journalists was a deliberate and organized attack. By targeting female journalists who exposed attacks on the Kurdish people and women in the Federal Kurdistan Region, an attempt was made to cover up war crimes committed in the region.”
We call upon the international community to condemn this attack and hold the Turkish government accountable for its actions against journalists and civilians in the region. The safety of journalists must be prioritized, and their right to report freely must be protected.
Photos of Hêro Bahadin (killed), Gulistan Tara (killed), Rêbîn Bekir (fighting for his life) available upon request.
Just yesterday Reporter Without Borders published a report about the violence against journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan: https://rsf.org/en/rsf-alarmed-surge-violence-against-journalists-iraqi-kurdistan
Statements by Human Rights Organizations on the attack:
Reporters Without Borders: https://rsf.org/fr/kurdistan-irakien-rsf-condamne-une-attaque-de-drone-qui-tu%C3%A9-deux-professionnelles-des-m%C3%A9dias-et-en
Comittee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org/2024/08/two-media-workers-killed-1-injured-in-drone-strike-in-iraqi-kurdistan/amp/
For further information, please contact Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) at press@knk-kurdistan.com
