Chatr Production, a media company operating in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq), made a press statement regarding the killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin by the occupying Turkish state in northern Syria.

The statement by Chatr Production Company reads as follows:

“Under dictatorial regimes it has become difficult to reach the truth. Fascism endeavours to create a single voice through every method and means, and to this end, it attacks dissenting voices in every way. For this reason, the free press and free journalism, which defend the truth, are constantly targeted by dictators.

After the fall of the Assad regime, the region entered a new phase and the Democratic Autonomy system in Northern and Eastern Syria, based on the principles of the Rojava Revolution, played an important role in these changes and actively participated in the construction of the New Middle East. However, the occupying Turkish state, which has been massacring the Kurdish people with all its might for more than a hundred years, has launched large-scale attacks on the gains of the Kurdish people and other peoples in Syria together with its gangs. These attacks were directed against Kobanê, the symbol of the Rojava revolution. Kobanê has become the symbol of the resistance that protects human values and is recognised as the beginning of the defeat of ISIS. The whole world embraced Kobanê as the symbol of the struggle against darkness.

The occupying Turkish state attacks the Kurdish people every day with the rhetoric of ‘if there is a Kurdish tent even in Africa, destroy it’, and tries to provoke an internal war, especially in Kobanê, to create despair in the society. For this reason, all media organs of the Turkish state work like special war centres and distort the facts. On the other hand, free journalists stand against this war and endeavour to be the voice of freedom.

Attacks on journalists are acts of terrorism perpetrated by dictators to cover up the truth. The occupying Turkish state has turned into a graveyard for journalists and systematically attacks them. While journalists should be protected and not targeted in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we witness the terrorist acts committed by the occupying Turkish state against journalists every day.

In the last four months, dozens of journalists have been directly targeted by drones and weapons belonging to the occupying Turkish state. Five journalists were martyred and many others were injured in these attacks.

On 23 August this year, a group of journalists affiliated to our media organisation were targeted by a drone belonging to the occupying Turkish state while they were carrying out their journalistic duties near Seyîdsadiq. As a result of the attack, journalists Gulistan Tara and Hero Behadîn were martyred. Similarly, on 8 July, Çira FM journalists were bombed by a drone of the occupying Turkish state in Shengal and journalist Mirza Murad Ibrahim was martyred.

On 19 December, two journalists of Hawar News Agency (ANHA) were targeted by armed drones of the occupying Turkish state near the town of Sîrîn. As a result of the attack, journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were martyred, and the driver of the vehicle was injured.

Both journalists were taking an active role in covering the Turkish state's recent attacks on the Tishrin Dam and Kobanê, in order to convey the facts of these attacks to the public and to expose the propaganda of the special war.

It is clear that the attack on these journalists was a planned act of terrorism. The silence of the international community in the face of these massacres has created a dangerous situation and has led to a reversal of the facts.

Journalists face pressure from authoritarian forces every day. Although fascism aims to silence the truth, it cannot prevent the truth from being expressed. Everyone should know that these pressures against free and conscientious journalists cannot intimidate them and weaken their will to express the truth. We want to take a common stance to prevent these crimes and put an end to the politics of killing and arresting journalists.

We believe that a legal struggle should be waged both locally and internationally against criminal states. We call on Kurdish and international media organisations, as well as human rights organisations, to take responsibility for any attacks on journalists.

We also appeal to the international community: Do not remain silent on the murder of journalists by the occupying Turkish state and put limits on these actions of the fascist Turkish state. Protect the lives of journalists and provide favourable conditions for them to continue their work. The protection of the public's right to information is the most fundamental requirement.”