The Metro Center called on international human rights organizations to put pressure on the Turkish government to keep the fire of war away from those who are not involved in the outbreak of the war. The latest incident was the targeting of the Hawar Agency team.

In the presence of a number of journalists and civil activists, today 22 December 2024, a press conference was held at the office of Metro Center in Sulaimani. In addition to Metro Center’s speech, representatives of Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate, Jasana Organization, Ronus, Women of Free Journalists and Chatr Company delivered speeches.

Diyari Mohammed, Director of Metro Center, said that they condemn the assassination of Hawar journalists Jihan Bilgin and Nazım Dashtan and emphasize that we should put more pressure on international human rights organizations to work towards stopping the Turkish government from killing journalists, keeping the fire of war away from those who are not involved in the outbreak of war. "We should have been talking about the achievements since it’s the end of the year, not to meet for such sad occasion,” he said. "Journalists are not protected in war nor peace.”

International humanitarian law must guarantee the protection of the wounded, the sick and prisoners of war in areas of armed conflict, they should also treat civilians on the battlefield or in occupied areas within the framework of international human rights law.

 

Earlier on August 23, 2024, Gulistan Tara and Hero Bahadin, employees of Chatr Company, were killed and another journalist named Rebin Bakr was wounded in a Turkish drone strike near Taparash village in Said Sadiq district of Sulaimani province

 On July 8, 2024, the Turkish air force targeted journalists of Chra TV and Chra FM in the community of Tel Qasabi in Sinjar. The attack on the employees of Chra TV and Chra FM, (Media Hassan Kamal, Murad Mirza Braim, Khalaf Khadr) left them injured, (Murad Mirza) reporter of Chra FM, died in a hospital in Mosul due to severe injuries.