CPJ calls for investigation into drone strike on Kurdish journalists

Two Kurdish journalists were wounded in a drone strike on a vehicle carrying them on July 8, reportedly carried out by Turkey. 

The attack resulted in injuries to Çira TV reporter Medya Hasan, Çira FM reporter Murad Mîrza, and the driver of the vehicle. While Hasan and the driver are reportedly recovering well after being taken to a hospital in Şengal, Mîrza's condition remains serious following his transfer to a hospital in Mosul.

Argash Shingali, a board member of Çira TV, stated that there were no markings on the vehicle to indicate that the vehicle was carrying journalists.

The journalists were returning from Tilqeseb, where they had been conducting interviews related to the tenth anniversary of the Ezidi massacre perpetrated by ISIS on August 3, 2014.

The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Counter-Terrorism Directorate has attributed the attack to Turkey. Ankara has yet to make a statement about the issue.

kurdistan24.net, a news outlet aligned with the regional government’s views, claimed that those in the vehicle were members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

In a written statement, Çira TV expressed that the attack on free media is “not coincidental,” especially as the tenth anniversary of the Ezidi genocide approaches and amid “assault and occupation plans against the people in Iraq and South Kurdistan.” 

“The occupying forces and states are attempting to silence free media to prevent their crimes from being known to the public,” the statement further said.

CPJ calls for investigation

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for an immediate and thorough investigation into the attack that injured the journalists. 

Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ's Program Director in New York, emphasized the need for Iraqi and Turkish authorities to determine the cause of the attack and for local officials to ensure the safety of journalists reporting on critical events in Northern Iraq⁵.

Reactions form local journalists

In response to the attack, locals and journalists in Şengal held a press conference at the site, where İbrahim Êzidî spoke on behalf of the journalists, declaring that targeting journalists is a violation of international laws and a crime against humanity. He also criticized the Iraqi government for its silence on the matter. (HA/VK)