Journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were covering developments in Northern and Eastern Syria, when they were targeted and killed by a Turkish armed drone on 19 December. They were traveling on the road between the Tishrin Dam and the town of Sirîn. Journalists in Kurdistan and Turkey who protested the killings were threatened and arrested.

Mahmut Oral, the Diyarbakır (Amed) Representative of the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS), told ANF: "I pay my respect to the memory of our murdered colleagues. I extend my condolences to the families of our fallen friends and to all members of the press. It is absolutely clear that this attack was deliberate because our colleagues were directly targeted. Despite the fact that it was known they were journalists and their vehicle was clearly marked with ‘press,’ they were specifically targeted and killed."

Oral added: "Given these circumstances, it becomes evident that this was a conscious and deliberate attack. Why were they targeted? Because our colleagues were exposing Turkey’s covert agenda in Syria. That is why they were killed. This is an attack we can never accept. It has moral, legal, and international dimensions. Journalists are protected worldwide, particularly in war zones. However, in Turkey, we see that journalists are targeted and killed. This constitutes not only a war crime but also a violation of international humanitarian law."

The perpetrators of the massacre must be held accountable

Oral highlighted that journalists in Kurdistan and Turkey who protested the killings were also threatened and detained. He added: "In my view, Turkey is trying to justify the killing of our journalist colleagues by criminalizing them in its official statements. This is unacceptable. A crime has been committed, and attempting to cover it up in this way cannot be tolerated. Turkey must urgently identify those responsible for this crime. The perpetrators must be brought to justice, for the murdered journalists, their families, and the press community.

The government is attempting to bring the media completely under its control. We are faced with a government that cannot tolerate any opposition voice. This is evident from the operations carried out against the media. The AKP government is trying to silence and co-opt the media in this manner.

While we are mourning the loss of our colleagues, the arrest of journalists protesting their killing and the state’s intolerance for our grieving shows is in itself despicable. The state is essentially saying, ‘Anyone I label a terrorist, I can kill or eliminate as I please.’ Journalists are now being silenced through murder. Turkey must abandon this approach immediately."

'We must organize against any repression'

Calling for journalists to organize against any repression and violence, Mahmut Oral said: "The government’s pressure on us has now reached the point of taking our lives. The only thing we can do in response is to resist. Journalists must organize against this repression. The stronger our numbers, the more we can resist and stand against the government’s oppression. Although Turkey is currently governed by a palace regime and its version of the law, we journalists will not give up our struggle. We must fully utilize any legal venue. We must uphold the legacy of our murdered colleagues."