The journalists arrested during a protest on 21 December to protest the killing of their colleagues Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, have been released from prison.

Journalists Daştan and Bilgin were killed by a Turkish drone while covering events in Northern and Eastern Syria.

The released journalists include Gülistan Dursun, Hayri Tunç, Yeni Yaşam Newspaper employees Enes Sezgin, Osman Akın, Can Papila, Pınar Gayıp, Etkin News Agency (ETHA) editor Serpil Ünal, Mücadele Birliği Newspaper journalist Serpil Ünal, and politicians Haci Ugiş and Imam Şenol.

The journalists released from Marmara (Silivri) Prison were warmly welcomed outside the prison by members of the Mezopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG), the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), as well as representatives from numerous political parties and trade unions.

Journalist Osman Akın said: " Empires and palaces will collapse, but the struggle and legacy of those who resist like Gülistan, Cihan, and Nazım will remain. In prison we met many people resisting. We witnessed their struggle and the prices they paid for this cause. We used to cover their stories, but because of this arrests we at least had the opportunity to meet them. They arrested us. But this is all they could do. We will continue to resist. We will raise our pens once more and continue the work Cihan and Nazım were doing. Free Media cannot be silenced.”