Sherif Mansour, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, called on the Turkish authorities to immediately conduct a full and transparent investigation into whether Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reporter Isam Abdullah and other journalists were targeted during Turkish airstrikes in the region.
Mansour said, “Journalists are civilians and should be protected while doing their jobs.”
Journalist Isam Abdullah was killed on 20 November in Turkey’s airstrikes on the city of Derik in North and East Syria as he was reporting at the scene.
In his last news broadcast from the scene, Abdullah said that Turkish warplanes were bombing civilians.
Mustafa Allua, head of ANHA, told CPJ that the strikes occurred at 1:10 a.m. on 20 November. “Essam told me that he will go to the targeted village to cover because there are civilian casualties. I agreed,” Allua said.
On 21 November, thousands joined the funeral ceremony of civilians, including Isam Abdullah, killed in the Turkish air strikes.
Mohammed Jarada, a reporter of Sterk TV, was also injured during the Turkish airstrikes on 20 November.