Prosecutors launch ‘terrorism’ probe into Istanbul Bar Association over posts on journalists killed in Syria

Duvar English

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated an investigation against Istanbul Bar Association, online news outlet T24, and Gerçek Gündem Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Seyhan Avşar for news reports and social media posts on the murder of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in Syria.

Bar chair, board investigated

An investigation has been launched against the Istanbul Bar Association chair and board members on charges of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and "publicly spreading misleading information."

In a statement, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the bar praised "PKK terrorists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin," and disseminated "misleading information suggesting that these individuals were killed due to their alleged journalistic activities and that the state committed supposed war crimes."

The bar association's written statement had included, "The targeting of journalists in conflict zones constitutes a violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions. Moreover, the targeting of civilians who are not parties to a conflict is defined as a war crime under the Rome Statute. Therefore, the rules concerning the protection of journalists working in armed conflict zones fall within the scope of international humanitarian law."

Journalists Daştan and Bilgin were killed in a Dec. 19 armed drone strike allegedly carried out by Turkey in northern Syria, according to reporting by the Mesopotamia Agency (MA).

In its statement, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that both journalists had records indicating ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and were wanted on similar charges.

As a response to the investigatıon, the Bar Association said, "Our Bar, which has always defended human rights and the rule of law, calls on all constitutional institutions and legal bodies to respect the Constitution, laws, and the general principles of law, particularly procedural rules."

Journalists on probe

The prosecutor’s office also launched investigation against online news outlet T24 and Gerçek Gündem Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Seyhan Avşar.

According to the prosecutor's statement, the journalists were being investigated for "spreading misleading information" about the deaths of the journalists "who have records as members of the PKK."

"This includes praise for the individuals and the promotion of false narratives regarding their journalistic activities and identities, which has led to an investigation initiated by our office on charges of terrorist organization propaganda and knowingly spreading misleading information," the prosecutor's office said.

The news site T24 reported on the statements made by the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association and the Press Workers' Union of Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) regarding the deaths of the two individuals.

The report included a statement from the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, which said, "Journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were following developments in Northern and Eastern Syria, were targeted on the road between Tishrin Dam and the town of Sirin," without any additional commentary.

The article also included a statement from DİSK, which condemned attacks on journalists, saying, "Those responsible for the deaths of journalists in war zones in Palestine and Syria must be held accountable in front of justice."

In her social media post, Avşar stated, “Two of our journalist colleagues lost their lives due to a bomb thrown at them. Is it necessary for a person to share the same views as us, to adopt the same journalistic style as us in order to defend their rights? According to what and according to whom are we 'terrorists?' How quickly we adopt the marginalizing rhetoric of others.”