UNESCO Launches New Funding Round to Bolster Legal Support for Journalists
November 4, 2025
Journalists Race to Recover Credibility as Government Health Claims Spark Misinformation Wave
November 5, 2025
November 05, 2025 – Turkey/Syria –
A court in Istanbul has cleared seven journalists of criminal charges after they memorialised two slain reporters—Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin—who were killed in a drone strike in late 2024. The journalists had been arrested following a December 21 vigil in central Istanbul and were held for several weeks as prosecutors pressed charges including “terrorist propaganda” and participating in an unlawful demonstration.
The detained journalists—among them Hayri Tunç, Gülistan Dursun, Pınar Gayıp, and Can Papila—had assembled to honour their murdered peers, only to be intercepted by law enforcement and remanded to detention. Their legal defence argued that carrying images of the two journalists and taking part in a memorial event did not meet the criteria for propaganda or participation in a banned assembly.
During the hearing, the prosecution sought convictions under Turkey’s anti-terror laws and the legislation governing public gatherings. The defence countered that the memorial was peaceful, unannounced by authorities, and lacked any intent to advance a designated terrorist organisation’s objectives. On November 4, the 24th High Criminal Court in Istanbul concluded that the journalists did not commit the alleged crimes and issued full acquittals.
Despite the verdict, press freedom advocates caution that this outcome could be an outlier in a country where journalists routinely face prosecutions for routine acts of reporting, protest, or memorialising. The case highlights the precarious status of journalism, especially for media workers covering Kurdish-linked topics or attending events seen as political by state authorities. The acquittal may offer a marginal relief, but many argue systemic reform remains urgent to halt recurrent legal action against the press.
As the journalists were released from their pre-trial constraints and travel bans lifted, the broader international community continues to watch Turkey’s treatment of media rights closely, urging that similar legal vulnerabilities not become a standard hazard for those commemorating fallen colleagues.
Reference –
