News Center- The Union of Free Media (Kurdish:Yekîtiya Ragihandina Azad-YRA) The Women’s Press Union (Yekîtiya Ragihandina Jin-YRJ) have released a joint statement, condemning the killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin by a Turkish drone in North and East Syria on Thursday.

The members of the unions gathered in front of the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Art Center in Qamishlo and read the statement.

 “The occupying Turkish state and its armed groups have intensified their attacks on North and East Syria since December 8 (2024),” the statement said. “At a time when the world is discussing the establishment of a system in Syria that embraces all people, the Free Press does its best to report the truth to the public.

“Our journalist colleagues work tirelessly in order to fulfill their ethical and historical duty and report the invasion attacks of the Turkish state to the whole world. The Turkish attacks target all the values​​of our people. All international conventions say that journalists in war zones must be treated as civilians and they should not be targeted. However, the Turkish state has been waging a brutal war against the Free Press.”

Condemning the killing of two journalists by a Turkish drone on Thursday, the unions said, “Two of our journalist colleagues were martyred as a result of the brutal attack of the occupying Turkish state. Our colleague Nazım Daştan and Hawar News Agency (ANHA) correspondent Cihan Bilgin were martyred in this treacherous and brutal attack. Our colleagues had been covering the attacks on Tishrin Dam and Qereqozaqê Bridge since the early days of the resistance. On December 19, 2024, while doing their profession on the road between Tishreen Dam and the town of Sirîn at 3:20 PM, their vehicle was targeted by a Turkish drone resulting in their martyrdom and injuring the driver, Aziz Haj Bozan.”

The statement read as follows:

“Our colleague Cihan Bilgin had worked as a journalist in Rojava since 2017. She was born and raised in a patriotic and devoted family. She was a brave journalist reporting the resistance and revolution in Rojava. Through her pen and camera, she was always the voice of people and women. She worked as a Hawar News Agency (ANHA) correspondent for eight years. When the Turkish state intensified its attacks on Rojava, she was at the frontline to report the truth in the best possible way.

Journalist Nazım Daştan was born in the Giyadîn (Diyadin) district of Agirî (Ağrı), Northern Kurdistan. He grew up in a patriotic family. He became a truth-seeker and a freedom fighter at a young age. He came to Rojava in 2014 when ISIS was attacking Rojava. He first reported the historic Kobanê resistance. He went to the Silopi district of Şırnak to cover the resistance for the autonomous administration in Northern Kurdistan. However, the Turkish state launched an investigation against him for his journalistic activities. Despite the judicial harassment, he kept working as a journalist and returned to Rojava Kurdistan in 2016. For years, he had worked as a journalist in Afrin, Kobanê, Raqqa, Girê Spî, Shengal and Southern Kurdistan. When a Turkish drone targeted them, he was covering the resistance of Tishrin Dam against occupation attacks.

We strongly condemn this brutal attack on our journalist colleagues. As followers of truth, we vow to walk their path with determination, never leaving their pens and cameras on the ground. We call on all journalists to be on the side of truth and be the followers of the Free Press in honor of Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin. We also call on all journalists’ organizations and international human rights organizations to raise their voices against this atrocity.

As journalists, we vow to expand the struggle of our colleagues Nazım Daştan, Cihan Bilgin and all media martyrs.

Long live the struggle and resistance of Free Media!

Martyrs are immortal!”