The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world’s largest organisation of media professionals, has called for an immediate independent investigation into a recent drone attack on a vehicle carrying reporters in Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria. The federation emphasised that those responsible for crimes against journalists must face consequences.
The drone attack, suspected to be Turkish, targeted a car carrying journalists from all-female TV channel JIN, near the Syrian-Turkish border on 23 August, killing the driver and injuring one of the passengers. The incident occurred as the media team was travelling between the Syrian cities of Amuda and Qamishli to cover an event commemorating the deaths of two Kurdish officials killed in another drone strike in June this year.
The IFJ recalled that this was the second time that Turkey has been accused of targeting journalists in the region. In a similar incident last December, a journalist was killed in an airstrike in a rural area of northeast Syria’s Al-Hasakah Governorate.
Faysal Hejî Sînan, the victim of the recent attack, was the 17th media worker killed in 2023, according to data compiled by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger stressed the need for heightened protection for journalists and media workers. In line with this sentiment, the IFJ is actively advocating for the adoption of a new international convention at the United Nations, aimed at bolstering the safety of journalists operating in conflict zones.
