Free Media journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Dastan were covering the attacks carried out by the Turkish state against Northern and Eastern Syria. They were killed by a Turkish drone while traveling between Tishrin Dam and the town of Sirin on 19 December.

The killings were protested both in Kurdistan and abroad. Journalists Bilgin and Dastan’s colleagues vowed to work to expose the perpetrators of the killing and bring them to justice.

Basin-Is (affiliated to the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey – DISK) Amed regional representative, Hakki Boltan, told ANF that he personally knew journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Dastan as he had the "opportunity to work with them."

Boltan said: "Nazım was taken into custody and put in prison many times because of the news he was writing. We followed his case. We saw how he was working. He exposed and wrote about various massacres, and he was arrested many times because of his work. 

Our two journalist friends only did what their profession required. They tried to convey the truth of what was happening to the readers. And this is why they were targeted by the Turkish state. The authorities tried to prevent them from practicing journalism. Yet, these pressures could not silence the Free Media. Our friend Nazım was devoted to the profession of journalism. It was a dedication he applied to all his news, working day and night to convey what he was covering."

We will defend the legacy of our murdered friends

Boltan underlined that Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin never stepped out of the tradition of the Free Press. They continued to write until the day they were murdered.  Nazım and Cihan went to places where no one wanted to go to write about what was happening, so that the whole world would know. They covered the attacks against Rojava. On December 19, they were murdered while they were covering the attacks carried out against the Tishrin dam and the town of Sirin."

Boltan continued: "This attack was a deliberate and premeditated attack. The vehicle the two journalists were traveling in was clearly marked as a press vehicle. These killings are a crime, and those who committed this crime must be held accountable so that such attacks on journalists never happen again. This is what journalists demand. This is our call to the world: Two friends were murdered while covering the news. Therefore, everyone owes these two friends. Everyone should call for the perpetrators to be held accountable and be brought to justice. We will protect the legacy of our friends."

Boltan underlined that "the basis of the attacks is to destroy the achievements of the Kurdish people. The Turkish state maintains its existence by ignoring the Kurds," and continued: "Saying that Kurds don’t exist is the biggest denial. As the Free Media, we are fighting against this policy of denial. Our understanding of journalism is based on reality and truth. Our murdered friends also worked in line with this principle. They exposed the reality of war. Those who did not want this reality to be exposed attacked and murdered our friends. Exposing facts is the greatest responsibility of the journalistic profession. Our friends Nazım and Cihan acted with this responsibility."

Killing journalists is a crime against humanity

Hakkı Boltan pointed out that all press organizations should speak up against the attacks and killings of journalists, and said: "Many press organizations in Kurdistan, Turkey and around the world have issued press statements and raised their voices against these killings. The Istanbul Bar Association issued a statement. Non-Kurdish journalists raised their voices against the killings, but this is not enough. This voice must be stronger. We have no other way but to unite against this injustice. We have to expose this injustice to the world. We owe this to our murdered friends. The only reason these attacks continue is that we remain silent. Let's act together. Journalism is not a crime; attacks on journalists are crimes against humanity. We must stand together and resist these attacks."