Free Media Union: Attacks, siege on Kobani are war crimes, genocide

In condemnation of the attacks carried out by mercenaries of the Syrian interim government against the city of Kobani, the imposition of a suffocating siege on the city, and the deprivation of its residents of the basic necessities of life, the Council of the Free Media Union in the Euphrates Canton issued a statement today. The statement was delivered by journalist Leila Abdi and journalist Mohammed Mustafa, with the participation of female and male journalists from the Euphrates Canton.

The Free Media Union warned of a “dangerous escalation taking place in the cities of Rojava, foremost among them the city of Kobani,” affirming that the city is subjected to deliberate and systematic attacks carried out by “factions of the interim government with direct Turkish support,” alongside the imposition of a suffocating siege and the cutting of electricity, water, and internet services. It stressed that what is taking place amounts to war crimes and a fully fledged genocide against civilians.

The Union explained that what is happening in Kobani is not a military conflict, but an organized crime based on isolating the city, starving its residents, and leaving them to face a slow death, in blatant violation of international and humanitarian laws and conventions. Children, women, and the elderly are besieged in the harsh winter cold and prevented from accessing food, medicine, fuel, water, and electricity, in an attempt to break the will of the population.

The statement noted that the ongoing attacks on Kobani and al-Jazira Canton constitute a systematic war of extermination aimed at erasing the achievements of a people who were at the forefront of confronting terrorism. It held the attacking parties fully responsible for the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of this escalation.

The Free Media Union also pointed out that the targeting does not only affect civilians, but also includes journalists in Kobani, who are subjected to direct death threats and violations aimed at silencing the free voice and obscuring the truth. It emphasized that cutting off the internet from the city constitutes an additional crime, intended to prevent media professionals from conveying the suffering of residents and to conceal what is happening from global public opinion.

The statement criticized the silence of international powers, considering it unjustifiable and a dangerous cover for the continuation of crimes, stressing that silence is not neutrality, but complicity in crime.

The Free Media Union called on international powers, the International Coalition To Countr ISIS, the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and media institutions, federations, and journalists’ unions around the world to intervene immediately and urgently to halt dropdown halt the attacks, lift the siege on Kobani, ensure the protection of civilians and journalists, guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid without restriction or condition, and hold accountable those responsible for the committed war crimes.

The statement concluded by reaffirming the Union’s commitment to remain the free voice, honest lens, and independent word of Kobani.

It also called for the formation of a free media front to expose crimes, protect the truth, and raise voices before new massacres occur—massacres that history will not forgive.

ANHA