Journalists Killed, Arrested, and Released Amid Escalating Attacks on Press Freedom

February 01, 2025 – Turkey – 

On December 19, 2024, Turkish journalists Nazîm Daştan and Cîhan Bilgin were killed when a Turkish drone targeted their vehicle near the Tishrin Dam in Northern and Eastern Syria. Daştan worked for Firat News Agency and Ronahi TV, while Bilgin was a correspondent for Hawar News Agency. Their driver was also injured. Press freedom organizations, including the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), condemned the strike as a deliberate assault on journalists fulfilling their duty to document the conflict.

Following the killings, Turkish authorities arrested several journalists on December 21, 2024, during a protest condemning the drone strike. Among those detained were Gülistan Dursun, Hayri Tunç, Yeni Yaşam Newspaper journalists Enes Sezgin, Osman Akın, Can Papila, Pınar Gayıp, Etkin News Agency (ETHA) editor Serpil Ünal, Mücadele Birliği journalist Serpil Ünal, and politicians Haci Ugiş and Imam Şenol. They were imprisoned in Marmara (Silivri) Prison.

After their recent release, the journalists were warmly received by members of the Mezopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG), the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), political parties, and trade unions. Speaking after his release, journalist Osman Akın reaffirmed their determination to continue reporting, stating: “Empires and palaces will collapse, but the struggle and legacy of those who resist like Gülistan, Cihan, and Nazım will remain. They arrested us, but this is all they could do. We will continue to resist, raise our pens again, and carry on the work Cihan and Nazım were doing. Free media cannot be silenced.”

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay also condemned the killings, emphasizing that journalists are civilians protected under international law and calling for transparent investigations into the attack.

These incidents underscore the mounting dangers journalists face in Syria’s Kurdish regions, where military attacks, arrests, and censorship threaten press freedom. Despite these dangers, journalists remain committed to telling the truth, often at great personal risk

References –

https://anfenglish.com/freedom-of-the-press/released-journalists-we-will-not-be-silenced-77729 https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-director-general-condemns-killing-journalists-nazim-dastan-and-cihan-bilgin-syria https://hawarnews.com/en/2-of-our-journalist-colleagues-martyred-in-turkish-occupation-shelling