The Media Center of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) released a statement paying tribute to Gulistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn who lost their lives in a Turkish UCAV attack in Sulaymaniyah city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on 23 August.

“The fascist Turkish state’s attack on journalists Gulistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn was aimed at hiding the Turkish state’s plans to occupy and seize South Kurdistan,” said the YPJ statement on Sunday, which includes the following:

“The forces of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq in South Kurdistan are destroying the gains of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement in cooperation with the Turkish state, which sees its salvation in the genocide of the Kurdish people and the region. The Turkish state continues to carry out such terrorist and inhumane attacks in the region. Gulistan and Hêro followed the truth about the Turkish state’s attack and invasion of South Kurdistan, which it carries out alongside those who practice slavery and treacherous forces in the country.

Gulistan and Hêro, through their struggle with the camera, pen, and media, insisted on conveying these truths to the world. Therefore, on August 23, Gulistan and Hêro were attacked by the Turkish state in Sulaymaniyah. Gulistan and Hêro never stopped their struggle and sacrificed their lives to reveal the existing truths. The history of Kurdish journalism is intertwined with the history of the Kurdish people’s struggle. Today, the Kurdish people’s resistance, thanks to the work of journalists fighting for the truth, is clear, and history cannot deny this spirit and courage that insist on independence and freedom. In front of the entire world, the Turkish state carries out its brutal attacks with armed aircraft. The Turkish state attacks politicians, academics, fighters, and journalists in front of the entire world in a manner that defies the laws of war. The fascist state killed the fighter and journalist Dilovan Gever in West Kurdistan in a brutal way in 2019 while she was covering the Turkish state’s invasion of the city of Gri Spi.

As always, human rights organizations and agencies remain silent about the attacks carried out by the Turkish state. All authorities and officials in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq must be fully aware that they are openly cooperating with the genocide against the Kurdish people in South Kurdistan. Targeting and killing journalists means silencing the voice of truth. The forces of South Kurdistan and Iraq must not allow the Turkish state to launch such inhumane attacks on their land.

We express our condolences to the dear families of Gulistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn. The struggle for free women’s media to expose the truths about the fascist Turkish state, from Gurbetelli Ersöz to Agirî Yılmaz, Dilovan Gever, Gulistan and Hêro, is a history filled with resistance, and for this reason, they will never surrender.

We, as fighters and journalists fighting for the freedom of our people and our land, fight to demonstrate resistance, and we promise to continue and enhance the struggle of Kolestan and Hero.”