Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the president of the Istanbul Bar Association, İbrahim Kaboğlu, and its board members on charges of ‘terrorist propaganda’ and ‘publicly disseminating misleading information’.
The investigation follows a social media statement by the bar condemning the deaths of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cîhan Bilgin in a Turkish drone strike in Syria on 19 December. The association had called the incident a violation of international humanitarian law and demanded accountability for the killings.
In its statement, the prosecution claimed that the association’s remarks praised individuals accused of terrorism and spread false information suggesting war crimes by the Turkish state. The office highlighted previous charges against Daştan and Bilgin, including allegations of membership of a terrorist organisation.
The investigation comes amid escalating tensions after a protest in Istanbul’s Şişhane Square against the murder of the journalists led to numerous people being arrested, including lawyers and journalists. The Istanbul Bar Association had criticised the arrests and reiterated its call for an impartial investigation into the attack.
This development adds to the ongoing debates about the journalists’ killings and the legal protection of those who document conflicts.
