Kurdish media organizations and human rights groups in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) have called on the United Nations to investigate the extrajudicial killings of journalists by Turkey and its allies. Since mid-December, three media workers have been killed in the autonomous region in drone attacks by the Turkish army and its proxy force SNA, and nine others have been injured, said Arîn Siwêd, spokeswoman for the Women's Press Union (YRJ), at a protest event in front of the UN office in Qamishlo.

Targeted attacks on journalists are war crimes

Criticizing the international silence and violation of international law and human rights in North-East Syria, Siwêd said: “The legal situation is clear. Targeted attacks on journalists are a war crime under international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

Siwêd called on the UN to take decisive action against such attacks and to play a more active role in protecting the rights of media workers. The Security Council, she said, must take long overdue appropriate action against Turkey and its militias. At the same time, she appealed to international organizations to file criminal charges against the political and military leaders of the Turkish government, saying that this could put pressure on Ankara and ensure the safety of journalists in Syria.

17 journalists murdered by Turkey 

The rally in Qamişlo followed the death of journalist Egîd Roj, (Şervan Seydo), who was murdered on Saturday by a Turkish drone attack at the Tishrin Dam. In addition to the YRJ, the Free Press Union (YRA) and the human rights organization Syria also attended the rally. A dossier handed over to the UN after the protest contains details of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against journalists, which are mainly attributed to Turkey. According to the report, at least 31 journalists have been killed in various areas of northern and eastern Syria while carrying out their jobs since 2014. 17 of them were murdered in air and drone attacks by the Turkish army, while others were killed in offensives against ISIS.

First killed, then labeled as terrorists

Almost all journalists killed by Turkey have been posthumously labeled as “terrorists” by the Turkish state. This was also the case with Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were murdered in a targeted drone attack south of Kobanê on December 19. Both journalists had been working for the Kurdish media for many years, with Daştan most recently working for ANF and Bilgin for ANHA. They were reporting from the front on the Euphrates about the attacks by the Turkish army and the jihadist alliance SNA on Tishrin Dam when their car, marked as a press vehicle, was hit by a drone. Shortly before the attack, Daştan posted the following message on X: “Contrary to the claims of the ceasefire, Turkey and its affiliated mercenaries are preparing a major attack on Kobanê and Rojava.”