An investigation was launched against the Istanbul Bar Association for its statement on journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, who were killed in a Turkish UCAV attack in northern Syria on 19 December.

In its statement on Saturday, the Istanbul Bar Association emphasised that the targeting of journalists in conflict zones is a violation of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention abd called for an investigation into the incident.

The investigation initiated by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and members of the board of directors was based on the grounds of ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ and ‘disseminating misleading information to the public’.

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also opened an investigation against T24 and journalist Seyhan Avşar on charges of "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" and "publicly spreading misleading information." The investigation was launched following the publication of an article titled "Journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin Killed in Syria" on T24 and a social media post by journalist Avşar.

In her social media post, Seyhan Avşar wrote: "...Does someone need to share our views or adopt the same journalistic approach as us for us to defend their rights? By whose standards are we labeled 'terrorists'? How quickly we adopt the alienating rhetoric of others. Are we standing up for Sinan Ateş’s rights today just because we share the same worldview? What will we do when a journalist whose perspective we don’t agree with is killed? Will we remain silent? Will our pursuit of justice and truth depend on where people stand, or what positions they hold? Shame on us, truly shame on us. Yesterday, two journalists born and raised on this land were killed by drones. We remained silent while they were killed, and the more silent we are, the smaller we become…"