AMED - Reacting to the murder of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, “They were the ones who wrote the truth, that's why we owe them,” says citizens in Amed. 

 

Journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were targeted and killed by an UCAV on December 19, while Turkey and the Syrian National Army (SNA) continued their attacks on North and East Syria. Reactions against the murder of the journalists continue. 

 

We asked the streets in Amed (Diyarbakır) about the murder of journalists. 

 

REACTION TO SILENCE 

 

Stating that a dirty war is being waged against North and East Syria, Mehmet Özçoban said that the Kurdish people should not remain silent. “How long will we remain silent against these atrocities? What is Turkey doing in Rojava? The gangs in Syria are there by the hand of Turkey. Do they not know this? We should not remain silent to martyrdom and oppression. They should take their hands off Rojava,” he said.

 

GENOCIDE IS TARGETED 

 

Mehmet Hanifi Kırar underlined that the attacks on North and East Syria are aimed at “genocide” and said: “Those who carry out these genocide policies have neither humanity, conscience nor morality. We must resist this together. Silence is surrender. The one who remains silent is the one who oppresses themself, their people and their country. Their aim in attacking Rojava is the surrender of this people.” 

 

'WE OWE A DEBT TO THE MURDERED JOURNALISTS'

 

Reacting to the murder of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, Kırar said that journalists are a light that enlightens the public. “We do not watch Turkish TV channels because of their fake news. The murdered journalists were the ones who enlightened us. We thank them thousands of times. Their labor is very much and very valuable. They were the ones who wrote the truth, so we owe them,” Kırar said. 

 

Behçet Filiz, one of the citizens, addressed AKP Chair and President Tayyip Erdoğan by saying, “The situation of all leaders who do not recognize the Kurdish people is obvious. Erdoğan can attack with gangs as much as he wants. Victory belongs to the Kurdish people.” 

 

CALL FOR NATIONAL UNITY 

 

Faruk Gündüz said that war policies are in effect in all four parts of Kurdistan and emphasized that the Kurdish people must ensure their national unity against this. Reminding the Kurdish poet Cegerxwîn's words “Eger em nebin yek, em ê herin yek bi yek (If we cannot become one, we will perish one by one)”, Gündüz said: “When Kurds are united, the invading state will not be able to achieve any results in Rojava. For 100 years the Kurdish people have been persecuted. Kurdish women achieved victory in Kobanê with their shouts. I believe that those gangs will be defeated once again in Rojava.” 

 

Azad Dağsal also stated the following: “Journalists are being massacred in Rojava. How long will there be war? We want freedom.” 

 

'THERE IS LAW IN WAR'

 

Cengiz Yakut, a citizen, said that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), from which Damascus was released, was previously listed as a “terrorist organization”, but is now being portrayed as “moderate”. “So it is unpredictable who they will call 'count' tomorrow" said Yakut and added: ”By attacking Rojava, Turkey aims to establish a state there. There is a law in war. The war in Syria will be reflected here. It is unacceptable for journalists to be murdered regardless of their ideology, regardless of whose side they are on. Journalists are slaughtered because they are not taken into account. We learn about what is happening today from journalists, without journalists reporting what is happening we would not be aware of anything. All over the world, journalists have immunity and this is best known by governments.”