NGO calls on Turkey to investigate attack on journalists in NE Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Friday that Turkey should immediately initiate a thorough investigation in the recent drone strike that killed a driver and wounded a journalist in the countryside of Qamishli, northeast Syria.
On August 23, a Turkish drone targeted a car transporting journalists of the all-female JIN TV channel in the city of Qamishli, killing driver Najm al-Din Faisal Haj Sinan and injuring journalist Dalila Agid.
CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator in Washington D.C. Sherif Mansour expressed his sadness about the attack and called on Turkish authorities to immediately investigate into the attack to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Turkish authorities should swiftly launch an investigation into this attack, determine who was responsible and if the reporting team was targeted, and hold the perpetrators to account,” he stated.
The CPJ is an American non-profit independent NGO based in New York City. It has correspondents around the world, and promotes freedom of press and defends the rights of journalists.
The Media Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) condemned the Turkish drone strike and said the “Turkish occupation state continues using the term ‘combating terrorism’ to target journalists.”
The Media Department condemned the Turkish drone attack and demanded the international community to bring the “crimes of the Turkish occupation” to an end.
CPJ emailed the Turkish president’s office for comment but did not receive a reply. CPJ was unable to find any contact information for the Turkish Defense Ministry or any comments it had issued about the attack.