Journalists gathered under the leadership of Dicle Fırat Journalists' Association (DFG), Mezopotamya Women Journalists' Association (MKG) and DİSK Basın-İş wanted to make a statement at Şişhane Square in Beyoğlu district of Istanbul on 21 December for journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin who were killed by a Turkish UCAV while following the developments in North and East Syria. The police attacked the statement, which was supported by representatives of many political parties and civil society organizations, and detained 59 people.

 

While 45 of the detainees were released after police procedures, 14 people were referred to the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office referred 5 of 14 people to the judgeship for judicial control and 9 people to the court with the demand of arrest on the charges of "making propaganda for an illegal organisation" and "violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations No 2911".

 

REASON FOR ARREST ARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF DAŞTAN AND BİLGİN 

 

The judgeship decided to release 5 of 14 people on judicial control conditions and to arrest 9 of them. The reason for arrest was given as carrying photographs of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin.

 

The names of the arrested journalists are as follows: "Gülistan Dursun, Hayri Tunç, Enes Sezgin, Osman Akın and Can Papila from Yeni Yaşam Newspaper, Pınar Gayıp from Etkin News Agency (Etha) and Serpil Ünal, reporter for Mücadele Birliği Newspaper."

 

'REIGNS AND PALACES ALSO FALL'

 

Arrested journalists sent the following message through their lawyers: "Reigns and palaces also fall. Only those who resist and the struggle of Nazims and Cihans will remain. DFG is a press organisation, it cannot be criminalised. Journalism is not a crime."