Attorney Khalid Omar: Attacking journalists constitutes war crime

 ANHA agency’s correspondent, Jîhan Belkîn, and journalist Nazim Dashtan were martyred on December 19, targeted by the Turkish occupation army while covering the resistance at Tishreen Dam and Qerqozax Bridge. Despite tireless efforts by both families to recover the journalists' bodies, the Turkish occupation state has refused to release them.

 Khalid Omar emphasized that targeting civilians, especially journalists, constitutes a war crime under international law. He stated:"Attacking journalists is a war crime. All international laws related to warfare strictly prohibit the targeting of civilians, and such violations fall unequivocally within the framework of war crimes."

 Omar also highlighted that this is not the first time the Turkish occupation state has targeted the region and committed war crimes. He pointed out that by preventing the transfer of the journalists’ bodies, Turkey is in direct violation of international legal provisions.

 He elaborated:"Under international law, the families of any individual who loses their life outside their homeland have the right to recover the body and bury it in their place of origin. However, the Turkish occupation state is obstructing this right, which constitutes a breach of international law."

 Omar called upon the families of Jîhan Belkîn and Nazim Dashtan to take their case to international human rights institutions. He also urged organizations such as Reporters Without Borders to intensify pressure on the Turkish occupation state to facilitate the transfer of the journalists’ bodies to Northern Kurdistan.

According to the 2024 report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Turkey ranks 158th out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom violations. The report categorizes Turkey's status as "extremely alarming."

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