İstanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and several board members appeared in court today over a statement they issued regarding the killing of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in northern Syria.
Ahead of the hearing, police blocked access to the square outside Gate C of the courthouse, preventing protests from taking place. Officers held bianet reporter Hikmet Adal for 10 minutes after photographing the restricted area.
The trial, originally scheduled to begin at 9.30 am at the 2nd Civil Court of First Instance, was relocated to the 21st Commercial Court of First Instance due to the courtroom’s small size. However, journalists faced additional security restrictions at the new location.
Eventually, lawyers, journalists, and opposition lawmakers were directed to the corridor outside the courtroom. The hearing was then postponed once more due to space constraints and moved to the 27th Heavy Penal Court.
Updates to follow…
Background
On Dec 19, 2024, Cihan Bilgin, a reporter for the Syria-based Hawar News Agency (ANHA), and freelance journalist Nazım Daştan, who had contributed to the pro-PKK Fırat News Agency (ANF), were killed in an airstrike in northern Syria.
The strike drew international condemnation from media organizations and rights groups, which accused Turkey of being responsible for the attack. Turkey, which regularly targets the Kurdish-controlled parts in northern Syria, did not claim responsibility for the strike.
The İstanbul Bar also issued a statement condemning the attack, saying, “Targeting journalists in conflict zones is a violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions. Moreover, attacking civilians who are not party to the conflict is classified as a war crime under the Rome Statute.”
Following this statement, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of Kaboğlu and the bar’s board members and the election of a new leadership.
In a separate case, Kaboğlu, Vice President Rukiye Leyla Süren, Secretary General Hürrem Sönmez, Treasurer Ahmet Ergin, and board members Metin İriz, Mehmedali Barış Beşli, Yelda Koçak Urfa, Fırat Epözdemir, Ezgi Şahin Yalvarıcı, Ekim Bilen Selimoğlu, and Bengisu Kadı Çavdar are also facing charges of “terrorist propaganda” (Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law) and “publicly disseminating misleading information” (Article 217/A of the Penal Code).
(HA/VK)
Source: BIANET
