The Turkish state continues its attacks on Free Media workers. Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgen, who reported on the attacks by the Turkish state and its allied militias in Rojava, were killed as a result of a Turkish state drone attack. Their killings have been protested in many cities across Kurdistan. 

Speaking to ANF about the attacks on the Free Media, journalist Emrullah Acar said: "Throughout history, journalists have always been targeted by forces that wish to conceal the truth. Despite these attacks aimed at preventing people from learning the truth, there have always been journalists who insist on revealing it. When it comes to Kurdistan as a territory and the truths of the denied Kurdish people, the attacks and resistance have both been very heavy. Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgen are not the first martyrs of the Free Media tradition. They are successors to figures like Ape Musa, Gurbetelli Ersöz, Gülistan Tara, Seyîd Evran, Dilîşah Îbiş, and hundreds of other martyrs. 

The attack on Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgen is part of the broader assault on the existence of the Kurdish people. To understand why they were targeted, it is enough to look at the headlines of the numerous reports and stories they worked on. They were targeted because they practiced journalism with integrity. These attacks, crimes against humanity, continue because the perpetrators are not held accountable before independent courts."

They cannot stop the growth of Free Media

Highlighting that the Turkish state’s attacks on the Free Media are a continuation of the Şark Islahat Plan (Eastern Reform Plan), Acar said: "Nazım and Cihan proved through their work that the Kurdish people, who are denied their existence, are indeed alive. They boldly declared, ‘If there are attacks on Rojava, it means the Kurdish people exist as well.’ Without their extraordinary efforts, we might not fully understand what has transpired in Northern and Eastern Syria to this day. The fact that they were targeted during a time of disinformation and propaganda is the greatest evidence that Nazım and Cihan disrupted the plans of those waging this war of lies. 

Attacks on the Free Media have never decreased. At times, we were physically murdered, at other times, they tried to suppress us through arrests. The official ideology has always viewed the Free Media as a ‘threat.’ One of the main reasons for the escalation in attacks is that the Free Media, which began with a few individuals, has now grown into an entire movement. In the 1990s, with minimal resources, the Free Media delivered the truth to the people. Today, it has become a platform followed by millions. 

Despite being murdered, abducted, imprisoned, and threatened with death, they could not and cannot stop the growth of the Free Media. The killing of Nazım and Cihan has left their successors with the legacy of building an even greater Free Press tradition."  

Attacks on journalists must end 

Underlining that at least 200 journalists have been killed in the ongoing Israel-Palestine war, Acar said: "International media organizations publish these figures daily. Yet, no one takes action to stop or prevent such killings. The same applies to the killing of journalists in Kurdistan. The killing of journalists, wherever it occurs, is a crime against humanity. Identifying those responsible is not difficult. The perpetrators must be held accountable before independent courts. If this does not happen, the attacks will continue. 

This requires organization both locally and within the international community. Press statements and public reactions alone are not enough to stop these attacks. Journalists everywhere must unite in response to these assaults, regardless of where they work. All peoples living in Kurdistan must rally around Free Media workers. 

To end the attacks on journalists, the Third World War, centered in the Middle East, must also come to an end."