Statement by Hawar News Agency to human rights organizations and the defense of the press and its freedoms

On Friday morning, November 2, 2018, at 10:30 hours, the Turkish army deliberately targeted and sniped our correspondents Gulistan Muhammad and Ibrahim Ahmad in Tal Abyad city adjacent to the Syrian-Turkish borders in northern Syria, wounding them seriously and they were rushed to Tal Abyad Hospital in the city.

Our fellows Ibrahim Ahmed and Gulistan Mohammed were on a press mission to cover the violations of the Turkish army against civilians in residential areas near the border after the Turkish army shelled and shot at the city and its countryside and killed the 11-year-old girl, Sara and wounded several other civilians.

 On the arrival of our fellows in the area to carry out their duty, the Turkish army soldiers deliberately sniped the journalist Ibrahim Ahmed in his hand and the  journalist Gulistan Mohammed was shot in the face, and after that they were rushed to Girê Spî Hospital for treatment, however, the case of journalist Gulistan was critical and she was taken to Manbij city for treatment at Manbij Specialist Hospital and underwent surgery and placed in intensive care.

The record of our fellows and the place of their work are as follow:

The first and last name : Ibrahim Ahmed Merto

The date and place of birth : 1-1-1999 in Bir Areb village

The mother's name : Jamila

The profession :Hawar news agency reporter

The place of residence : Gire Spi (Tal Abyad ) city-north of Syria-at the Turkish borders.

The point of injury : Shot in hand and receiving treatment at Girê Spî General Hospital.

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The first and last name : Gulistan Mohammed Ali

The date and place of birth : 6-6-1998 in Girê Spî city

The mother's name : Kalima

The profession :Hawar news agency reporter

The place of residence : Girê Spî (Tal Abyad ) city-north of Syria-at the Turkish borders.

The point of injury : Bullet in the face and critical condition was transferred to Manbij city and was undergoing surgery in Manbij Specialist Hospital and is in intensive care now.

In this regard, since the establishment of our agency Hawar News Agency in the spring of 2013 in line with the situation in Syria and the Kurdish regions, we have taken upon ourselves as a group of activists and journalists to convey the reality of the humanitarian, social and field situation on the ground to be the voice of the peoples of northern and eastern Syria, we took the principles of professional ethics and journalism and humanity basis to us in our coverage of the situation and by this concept we became the most reliable agency in Syria in general and we were in every social and military event in Syria.

With the beginning of the emergence of IS ,the terrorist organization in Syria and Iraq, which was considered the greatest threat to the world, we were the Hawar agency with its correspondents, who are present in most Syrian regions and especially in the north and east of the country. We continue to cover the battles and liberations of civilians from terrorism. Their voice to the world and 3 correspondents from our agency lost their lives in a suicide bombing by IS which was carried out among civilians in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor in the summer of 2017 and 3 correspondents wounded while covering the battles of the Syrian Democratic Forces(SDF) and the International Coalition against IS mercenaries.

In this regard, we say to the international public opinion and the press in particular and those concerned with the protection of press freedoms in the media. We at the Hawar News Agency condemn the deliberate sniping of our correspondents by the Turkish state. We call upon the international organizations concerned to protect journalists and to do their duty to respond to this violation of the right of the press, and put pressure on the Turkish state to stop its terrorism against the press and take the necessary measures of sanctions and alerts to prevent recurrence.

Hawar News Agency Administration