Reactions to the massacre of Kurdish journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan by the occupying Turkish state continue. 600,000-member International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) President Dominique Pradalié spoke to ANF regarding the killing of the two journalists in an UCAV attack by the Turkish army in northern Syria on 19 December.

Dominique Pradalié noted that the killing of journalists was extremely shocking for the IFJ and said: “The murder of our two journalist friends, Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, is absolutely unacceptable and against all international laws. A journalist is not an actor in the field, he is an observer, he is there to look at what is going on, to put it in context and to tell the world what he sees through radio or video. This is why targeting journalists is extremely shocking. And the killing of two of our colleagues last Thursday was aimed precisely at journalists fulfilling their duties.”

‘Everyone thinks they can kill journalists because there is impunity’

Expressing condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the murdered journalists, Dominique Pradalié said: “What shocks us the most is that everyone now thinks they have the right to kill journalists. Everyone thinks they can kill journalists. Why? Because there is impunity. Because murderers go unpunished and feed on impunity.  I would like to express my solidarity to the families, friends and colleagues of our two journalist friends. I would also like to express that the International Federation of Journalists, of which I am honoured to be the president, stands by them and will not stop there. Now is the time for justice to be served. In other words, it is time for an investigation to be launched.”

President Dominique Pradalié emphasised that the main reason behind the killing of journalists is that the states seek to prevent the exposure of the war crimes they commit: “Unfortunately, Turkey is not the only country that wants to kill journalists and has “succeeded” in doing so. Israel has killed more than 130 journalists in Gaza alone. Why do these states kill journalists? They want to eliminate those who bear witness to the crimes they commit. They want to prevent their violations and genocides from being exposed to the whole world.”

‘More than 1,000 journalists have been killed in ten years’

Dominique Pradalié stressed that journalists are protected by international law and that attacks against them constitute a crime: “There are a number of treaties, notably the Geneva and Venice Conventions, which provide protection for journalists. But it is clear that these are not enough. Two years ago, in Vienna, Austria, the United Nations reviewed its ten-year plan for the safety of journalists. Many people did not even realise that this plan existed. According to UNESCO, more than 1,000 journalists have been killed in ten years. This proves that a UN plan, no matter how well written, is useless if it is not backed up by concrete and binding measures.

This is why the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which has 600,000 members worldwide, has submitted a project to the United Nations General Assembly for adoption and implementation based on 3 main points.

According to this project, each country will have to report annually on what it is doing to improve press freedom. A permanent monitoring group will be set up to observe what is happening around the world. When a journalist is killed, this group will investigate what happened.

Third, and in my view, the most important, is the establishment of an independent international investigative body. This body will carry out investigations in the countries where journalists have been killed, to identify the culprit - the shooter - but also the person who ordered the shooting, so that they can be brought to justice and justice can finally prevail. This is an absolute necessity.”

‘The Turkish army is targeting journalists to prevent them from informing the public’

Dominique Pradalié remarked that the Turkish state is targeting journalists like the mafia, “The Turkish army is targeting journalists in the same way as the mafia in Mexico. The aim is the same; to prevent them from doing their job and informing the public. So, it is always the same process. And why is this being done? Because for the moment it is happening with complete impunity. However, as soon as this convention, which has been submitted to the UN and which we support, comes into force, those responsible will know that they will no longer be able to escape an independent and international investigation and inquiry. Now, unless journalists' associations on all five continents can persuade their governments to publicly support this draft convention and get a favourable response, in a few years there will be no more journalists. But everyone should know that without journalists there can be no democracy. This is the terrible threat we face.”

‘Killing of Kurdish journalists constitutes a war crime’

Underlining that the killing of Kurdish journalists also constitutes a war crime, IFJ President Dominique Pradalié said, “The murderers know that the crime they committed is a war crime. Despite knowing this, they are still comfortable today. We have filed complaints to the International Tribunal in The Hague in several similar cases, but these complaints do not cover all journalists killed. Since the beginning of 2024, 111 journalists have been killed. And why? Because of impunity. Therefore, if we cannot ensure the existence of an international convention that protects journalists in all respects and is specific to them, there will soon be no journalists left.”

‘Kurdish journalists are an example for the whole world’

The murderers of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin must be brought to justice, Dominique Pradalié said, adding: “In countries and places where there is no serious investigation into the killing of journalists, an independent and international investigation by legal experts should be launched.

We say to our Kurdish colleagues working in the region and to Turkish journalists who carry out professional work, be careful. We congratulate you on your work. You are real heroes. Although you know it is dangerous, you do not hold back from practising your profession. You are an example for the whole world.”