YRA in NE Syria recalls its martyred colleagues

The pioneers of truth; Dilişan Ibish, Hogar Mohammed, Widad Erdemci, Saad Ahmed, Dilan Olmaz, and Mohammed Rasho, attained the rank of martyrdom while conveying the truth of their people to the world; and they became a role model, strength, and hope for their colleagues.

ANHA agency's correspondents, Dilişan Ibish and Hogar Mohammed, were martyred on October 12, 2017, when ISIS mercenaries committed a massacre using two vehicles driven by suicide bombers, among civilians on the road between the city of Hasaka and Deir ez-Zor.

14 civilians were also martyred, and ANHA agency's correspondent, Rizgar Deniz, was seriously injured and martyred on December 18 of the same year.

On October 9, 2019, the occupying Turkish state attacked the cities of Serekaniye and Gire Spi, and committed a massacre on October 13, targeting a civilian convoy that included a group of journalists who were documenting the events and attacks; 11 citizens were martyred, including ANHA agency's correspondent, Saad Ahmed, and Çira TV correspondent, Mohammed Rasho, and 80 civilians were injured.

During the attack, journalist and documentary filmmaker Widad Erdemci (Velat) was martyred after his house was bombed by the occupation forces on October 10. A journalist in the media office of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) was also martyred on October 13, 2019, while covering the Turkish attack on the city of Gire Spi.

To commemorate them, the Free Media Union (YRA) organized a memorial ceremony at the Martyr Delil Sarukhan Shrine in Qamishli with the participation of the families of ANHA agency's martyred correspondents Saad Ahmed and Hawkar Muhammad, and correspondents and journalists working in various media outlets.

The participants stood for a minute of silence, then the Co-Chair of the Free Media Union, Dilyar Jaziri said that their fellow journalists went to the battlefield without hesitation to document the violations of the Turkish occupation state, its mercenaries and ISIS against civilians, and became pioneers in conveying the truth, on the line of Khalil Dag and Gurbet Ali Arsuz.

He noted that they struggled for representing the voice of their people and their society.

"Because their enemies are afraid of revealing their atrocities and crimes, that is why they use all kinds of weapons against workers in the free media," Jaziri said.

He pointed out that they should know well that when a journalist is martyred, dozens will continue his path, and he pledged to continue the struggle to achieve the hopes and dreams of their colleagues in freedom and democracy.

In turn, the father of ANHA agency's martyred correspondent Saad Al-Ahmad, said "Saad,  Muhammad Rasho and the rest of their colleagues went to the place where humanity was being erased, Serekaniye, the cradle of civilizations to document and expose the crimes of the Turkish occupation ."

For his part, the father of ANHA agency's martyred correspondent, Hawker Mohammed said "The martyr Hawker had high morals and was martyred for his people."

The fellow journalists laid wreaths of flowers on the graves of their martyred colleagues.

a.k

ANHA