Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) announced its legar report for 2024. The report includes data on the legal support provided to journalits throughout the year. "In 2024, we journalists tried to defend journalism in court corridors while on duty. Journalists have been the first target of the increasing pressure and censorship by the government in Turkey. While the public's freedom to receive news is tried to be prevented with these pressures against journalists, hundreds of journalists have been investigated for this reason and these investigations have turned into lawsuits," the report said. 

 

LEGAL SUPPORT FOR 152 JOURNALISTS

 

In the report, it was pointed out that the DFG legal unit, lawyers Resusl Tamur and Özcan Kılıç followed the legal proceedings of dozens of journalist. 

 

The statement read: 

 

"Our lawyer Resul Tamur followed the legal proceedings of 74 colleagues in and aorund Amed and our lawyer Özcan Kılıç followed the legal proceeding of 72 colleagues in Istanbul. In 2024, we provided legal support to 152 colleagues (investigations, lawsuits, higher courts and criminal complaints, etc.). In 49 cases we attended, we defended journalism and explained that journalism is not a crime. In 2024, in addition to providing legal support to 152 of our colleagues, our lawyers also accompanied our colleagues during their testimonies at the law enforcement units to which they were summoned.

 

FIGHT AGAINST CENSORSHIP

 

While 6 of the cases we followed resulted in acquittal, the other cases are still pending. At the same time, we defended the rights of 10 of our colleagues at the higher courts of appeal, the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court. We filed objections against the access decisions to the individual accounts of many institutions and colleagues, especially the access decisions to the news shared on our association's website. We took the closure of organisations such as the Free Journalists Association and Cihan Radio by decree to the higher courts. We objected to 16 access blocking decisions. Although many of our objections were rejected, we continued and continue to our legal struggle at the higher court.

 

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT ON POLICE VIOLENCE

 

Many of our colleagues were subjected to violence and threats while following the news. In this regard, we filed criminal complaints against 2 journalists who were subjected to violence during the 'Freedom rally' in Amed, 3 journalists who were subjected to violence while covering the peace vigil of the Peace Mothers in Silopi district of Şirnex, and 31 colleagues who were subjected to violence in Istanbul and Wan. We also filed criminal complaints with both the Human Rights Association and the Association of Lawyers for Freedoms against the attacks against our colleagues covering the protests that started after the appointment of a trustee in Êlih.

 

NAZIM DAŞTAN, CİHAN BİLGİN

 

It is with deep sadness that we learnt that our colleagues Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were killed in an attack by a UCAV during the days we were preparing this report. We say once again that we will hold this attack against our two colleagues to account at the highest legal level. Eyewitnesses and the documents we have accessed show that the attack was deliberately targeting journalists. On this basis, we will continue our legal struggle on every ground to prove that this is a war crime.

 

LEGAL RIGHTS EXPLAINED

 

We did not only defend journalism in the corridors of courthouses and police stations. We organized various workshops in order to further increase the defence of journalism. In this context, in our crisis journalism workshop, which we organised twice with the participation of our lawyer Resul Tamur, we informed approximately 30 colleagues on what to do in investigations against journalists. In 2024, we defended journalism both through legal struggle and by increasing solidarity with other professional groups. We will continue to defend journalism in 2025. We will neither give up writing the truth nor saying that journalism is not a crime."