KNK condemns Turkish drone attack: “An attack on press freedom and the truth”

The Kurdish National Congress (KNK) has strongly condemned the recent Turkish drone attack in the Said Sadiq district of Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî). killed Two Kurdish journalists, Gülistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn, and another journalist, Rêbîn Bekir, were critically injured.

The journalists’ vehicle, which belonged to the media company Çira/Chatra, was on Friday in sight while the team was on the road to shoot a documentary in Iraqi Kurdistan.

KNK described the attack as a deliberate attempt by Turkey to silence Kurdish journalists who are working to shed light on the ongoing conflict in the region. “This is not just an attack on two journalists; it is an attack on the essence of press freedom and the right to report the truth,” KNK said.

In a statement, the KNK called on the international community to take immediate action against Turkey for its ongoing violations of international law and its targeted attacks on journalists. “The world cannot stand by as Turkey systematically attempts to silence those who document the Kurdish struggle. We call on all nations to condemn these actions and hold Turkey accountable.”

Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Turkish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), sentenced the attack in Sulaymaniyah, calling the city a “political murder center” under the Turkish government. He criticized the KRG's silence on these attacks on civilians, saying that it paves the way for more political and civilian killings. Bakırhan called on the Turkish government to immediately end its policy against civilians.

The Free Women’s Press (RAJIN) thought the lives of the murdered journalists and vowed to continue their fight for the truth. “We will make the struggle of Gulistan and all the martyrs of the free press the basis of our work. Despite all the attacks, pressure and arrests, the free press will never deviate from its mission to be the voice of truth,” RAJIN declared.