Journalist Nazım Daştan was born on 27 August 1992 in Dibegli village of Giyadîn (Diyadin) district of Agirî (Ağrı) province. Daştan attended primary school in his village, secondary school in Giyadîn and high school in the centre of Agirî. In 2011, he enrolled at Antep University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Radio, Cinema and Television. While studying at the university, he got acquainted with the Free Press and started journalism as a reporter for the Dicle News Agency (DİHA) in 2012. Daştan learnt the profession in a short time and has signed countless news reports in the Free Press, which he has not left until today. In 2014, Daştan, who came to the Kobanê border after ISIS attacked Kobanê, recorded with his camera the handshakes and conversations of ISIS fighters who came to the military point in the Tilwerdan village of Pirsûs (Suruç).

 

'WE WILL DEDICATE OUR PEN TO THE PEOPLE'

 

Afterwards, Daştan moved to Silopi (Silopi) district of Şirnex (Şırnak), where a curfew was declared, and covered the violations experienced there with his news reports. In 2016, he was detained in Dîlok (Antep) while carrying out his professional activities. He was arrested on the allegation of "making propaganda for an illegal organisation" and put in Antep Type H Prison. Released after 5 months in prison, Daştan stated at the prison gate that they were the generals of Apê Musa and said: "We will dedicate our pen to the people more, we will take the struggle of the people more in our frames."

 

DID NOT LEAVE THE FIELD

 

After the liberation of Kobanê, Daştan moved from Pirsus to Kobanê to follow the destruction caused by ISIS. Since 2016, Daştan has continued his professional activities in North and East Syria, he was in Shengal when Shengal was liberated, in Raqqa when Raqqa was liberated, in Efrîn when the attacks on Efrîn started, and in Girê Spî when Girê Spî was attacked.

 

Daştan was targeted by ISIS militants on 5 April 2017 when he was following the Tabqa operation. He was wounded in the ISIS attack and after being treated for a while, he started to follow the developments in the field again. He followed the ISIS attack on Hesekê Sinai Prison on 20 January 2022 and announced to the whole world what happened during the attack.

 

AWARD FOR THE PHOTO HE TOOK IN AFRIN

 

 

While continuing his professional activities in North and East Syria, Daştan won the Special Jury Award in the photography category of the 26th Musa Anter and Free Press Martyrs Journalism Awards. His photograph of a family wounded in the bombardment in Afrin, in which 21 civilians were killed, was deemed worthy of an award.

 

HE TOLD YAZIDI WOMEN

 

Daştan made a short documentary film, 73, based on the narratives of women and witnesses who survived the massacre by ISIS in Shengal, in which the beliefs of Yazidis are emphasised. The film was screened at international festivals.

 

Daştan was last reporting to the world on the developments following the collapse of the 61 years Baathist regime. After Turkey and the Turkish-led Syrian National Army (SNA) attacked Til Rifat, Daştan travelled to Manbij and moved to the Qereqozak region after the Manbij Military Council decided to evacuate the city to prevent civilian deaths. For days, Daştan had been following the developments there and publicising what was happening. Daştan was killed by a Turkish Armed Forces' drone attack near Sırrın town yesterday while travelling from Qereqozak to Tishreen Dam area. Daştan was killed together with ANHA reporter Cihan Bilgin. The driver of the vehicle was wounded in the attack.