The Turkish prosecutors have launched a “terrorism” investigation against the Istanbul Bar Association, the online news outlet T24, and journalist Seyhan Av?ar for their posts about the journalists Naz?m Da?tan and Cihan Bilgin, who were killed in Syria.
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 Av?ar for news reports and social media posts on the murder of journalists Naz?m Da?tan 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 Naz?m Da?tan 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.”
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