The families have confirmed that murdered journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan will be buried in Rojava after the AKP-MHP government refused to allow their remains to be repatriated to their hometowns.

Journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were covering events in Northern and Eastern Syria. They were killed in a Turkish drone strike on 19 December 2024. Since that day, their families have tried to retrieve their bodies to bury them in their hometowns. However, the AKP-MHP government has denied permission for the repatriation of their remains.

Initially, it was announced that the bodies of the two journalists would be transferred from Qamishlo to the Nusaybin district of Mardin (Mêrdîn) to be handed over to their families. However, when the families arrived at the Qamishlo border, they were informed that the bodies would not be released. The families were then instructed that the remains would be transferred through the Sêmalka Border Gate into South Kurdistan, and subsequently to the Habur Border Gate in Silopi. Upon receiving this information, a delegation, including the families of Daştan and Bilgin, attempted to cross the Habur Border Gate into South Kurdistan. When their passage was denied by Turkish authorities, the delegation began a sit-in in protest. Despite two days of demonstrations, the AKP-MHP government refused to allow the return of the journalists' bodies.

Given the situation, the families decided that the Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin will be laid to rest in Qamishlo.