Cihan Bilgin, a journalist who lost her life in a Turkish strike while on duty, was a close friend of Rohat. I speak to Rohat, a courageous local journalist herself, and others assembled at the Tishreen dam about why they came here.

Cihan was reporting about the ongoing upheaval in North and East Syria, about the fight between the Turk!sh proxy force SNA and the SDF, and about the resistance on the ground. She was struck while travelling around the dam to her next reporting location, along with journalist Nazim Dashtan - most known for his tireless reporting on ISIS.

The aim of targeting journalists like this is clear: to make sure the word does not get out. Everyone can help to combat the international silence which allows this dire situation to continue without accountability. Help to spread awareness!

"Solidarity is our weapon – we are Tishreen!" Graffiti at the Reitschule in Bern

For the past month, the people of Rojava have been collectively defending the crucial Tişrîn Dam. Despite daily Turkish attacks on civilians and SDF forces, the community stands firmly behind the SDF and the dam. As Kongra Star member Jiyan Hisên says, “Our people are making history again by defending their land, water, soil, and very existence.”

This resistance is backed by all segments of society across the autonomous regions of northern and eastern Syria. Kurds, Arabs, Syrians, and Armenians stand united at the dam, shielding it from further Turkish shelling. Without them, the region would face severe water shortages, major power outages, dangerous flooding, and a looming disaster.

In 31 days of resistance, Turkey has killed 41 people and injured around 250 people.

The historic defense of Tişrîn Dam shows the world we see these war crimes and stand in solidarity with the popular resistance and the SDF.

@rojavaagenda