Stating that targeting journalists in conflict zones is a violation of international conventions, Istanbul Bar Association demanded an effective investigation into the incident and announced that they will follow the process.
The Istanbul Bar Association made a statement on journalists Cihan Bilgin and Nazım Daştan, who were killed in a Turkish UCAV attack in northern Syria.
The statement emphasised that the targeting of journalists in conflict zones is a violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention and said: “Moreover, the targeting of civilians who are not parties to the war is expressed as one of the war crimes in Article 8/2/b/ii of the Rome Statute. Therefore, the rules regarding the protection of journalists working in armed conflict zones are within the scope of International Humanitarian Law. Again, during the press statement to be held in Şişhane Square regarding the aforementioned incident, four members of our Bar Association, two law faculty students and dozens of journalists were detained.”
The statement continued: “It is unacceptable that members of the press and our colleagues who are exercising their constitutional rights and mourning for their colleagues are detained while an immediate investigation into this incident, which violates international law, should be launched and those responsible should be held to account. We demand an effective investigation into the killing of two members of the press and the immediate release of those who were detained after making a press statement exercising their constitutional rights, and we respectfully announce to the public that we will follow the process.”
