AANES says 6 journalists killed in Syria in 2023
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Media Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) documented on Wednesday the killing of six journalists in different areas of Syria since the beginning of 2023.
In a statement published in Arabic on its official website, the department said the “Turkish occupation state continues using the term ‘combating terrorism’ to target the journalists.”
“The Turkish occupation state and its Syrian mercenaries continue committing more massacres against the people of north and east Syria,” the statement read.
According to the 2023 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), Turkey has downed to 165.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Turkish drone targeted a car transporting journalists of a local TV channel in the city of Qamishli, leaving casualties.
The Media Department condemned the Turkish drone attack and demanded the international community to bring the “crimes of the Turkish occupation” to an end.
Co-head of the Free Media Union (FMU), Dilyar Jezeiri, said “Today, the crew of the Jin TV was attacked by a Turkish drone on Qamishli-Amuda road that resulted in the killing of the driver and the injury of the correspondent.”
The Free Media Union (FMU) is an independent institution involved in protecting and preserving the rights of the journalists and media activists in the areas held by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
“This is not the first time where the Turkish state targets the journalists in north and east Syria,” Jezeiri told North Press, condemning the “unjustifiable attacks.”
The FMU co-head called for the stakeholders, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to achieve their tasks and prevent the Turkish state from the frequent targeting of journalists and civilians in north and east Syria’s areas.