The Human Rights Association (IHD) Ankara Branch Press Rights Violations Monitoring Commission made a written statement about the killing of journalist Aziz Köylüoğlu in a Turkish drone attack in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

According to the Democratic Press Union (YRD) statement earlier today, the Kurdish journalist “was martyred in a cowardly attack by the Turkish state on January 27 in Ranya”.

This is not the first time Turkey kills journalists in its neighboring countries.

On 23 August 2024, a Turkish UCAV bombed a vehicle carrying free press workers in Seyidsadiq district of Sulaymaniyah. Female journalists Gülistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn lost their lives as a result of the bombing which targeted free press workers working for a television programme.

On 19 December 2024, journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were martyred in an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) attack carried out by the Turkish state on the road between the Tishrin Dam and the town of Sirrin.

IHD cited the Geneva Convention article “Journalists are considered civilians and should be protected as long as they are not directly involved in the conflict” and emphasized that attacks against journalists are a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

Recalling the deadly attack against Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, IHD called for an effective and transparent investigation into both attacks and demanded that those responsible for the killing of journalists be identified and brought to justice.

IHD called on international human rights mechanisms to shed light on both attacks and to prevent further possible attacks.

The IHD statement on Saturday further included the following:

 “The fact that 3 journalists have been killed within two months, as well as the systematic detentions, imprisonment, investigations and trials against journalists in Turkey have turned into violations of the right to press, is worrisome in terms of both the protection of the right to life and the exercise of freedom of the press and freedom of expression. JİNNEWS reporter Öznur Değer was beaten and detained from her home on February 7 and imprisoned the same day. The fact that Ali Barış Kurt, who was also detained on February 7, was imprisoned on the morning of February 8 increases our concerns in terms of interventions against freedom of the press. Since December 20, 3 journalists have been killed, a total of 18 journalists have been imprisoned and 45 journalists are still in prison, which is unacceptable for the existence of a democratic society.

The targeting of journalists through killings and arrests is not only a violation of the right to life and press freedom but also leads to the undermining of a democratic society.  It is the duty of states to bring the perpetrators of these killings to justice and to take measures to ensure that journalistic activities can be carried out freely. In this context, we call on the Turkish government to take urgent steps to shed light on the killings of journalists Nazım Daştan, Cihan Bilgin and Aziz Köylüoğlu and to guarantee the exercise of freedom of the press and freedom of expression.”