Hundreds gathered in the Kültür district of Batman (Elîh) province in southeast Turkey, to mourn the deaths of two Kurdish journalists, Gülistan Tara and Hêro Bahadîn, killed on 23 August in a drone strike near Sayd Sadegh in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).
The journalists, who worked for the Chatr Production Company, were reportedly targeted by Turkish forces while en route to a filming location. Their deaths have sparked widespread condemnation and heightened tensions in the region, leading to protests and memorials, particularly in Batman, Tara’s home cıty.
The event was attended by members of different political parties, human rights organisations and media representatives. Participants condemned the attack as a violation of international law and a direct attack on press freedom. Many called for an independent investigation into the incident, pointing out that this was not the first time that Turkish operations had resulted in the deaths of journalists in the region.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other international organisations have called for accountability and a thorough investigation into the attack, stressing the importance of protecting journalists, especially in conflict zones.
In a statement, the Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate vowed to take the case to international bodies, stressing that the targeting of journalists is a gross violation of human rights and press freedom.
The strike is part of a wider pattern of attacks on Kurdish journalists in Iraq, including the murders of Nagihan Akarsel, Wedat Hüseyin Ali and others in recent years. These incidents have heightened fears among the Kurdish press community and underlined the dangers faced by journalists reporting from conflict zones.
Several protests have taken place across the KRI and in Turkey in response to the killings, with demonstrators calling for an end to attacks on journalists and civilians. The Batman mourning tent has become a focal point for these sentiments, and has become a symbol not only of grief, but also of resistance to the silencing of the press.
The families of the victims, along with their colleagues and supporters, continue to seek justice and recognition for the sacrifices of journalists like Tara and Bahadîn, whose commitment to the truth cost them their lives.
