ISTANBUL
The relatives and colleagues of Turkish journalist Cuneyt Unal and Palestinian journalist Bashar Fehmi Qadumi who are being held by Syrian officials staged a silent sit-in in front of the Syrian Consulate General in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Carrying a banner that read "Give our colleagues back", the relatives and colleagues of the two journalists staged a 15-minute long silent sit-in.
Cuneyt Unal's wife Nuran Unal said that "for the past 65 days, we believe that we have said all we could. Syria and Turkey are silent (on Unal and Qadumi). We want to be silent as well".
Bashar Qadumi's wife Arzu Qadumi said that "the politicians have made certain initiatives but words themselves do not mean anything. We have not been able to get a result".
Unal and Qadumi have been under custody for the past two months since they were kidnapped in Aleppo.
TGC sends letter to UN's special envoy on Syria for detained journalists
On the other hand, The Society of Turkish Journalists (TGC) sent a letter to the joint UN and Arab League's special envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi so as to facilitate the release of Turkish journalist Cuneyt Unal and Palestinian journalist Bashar Fehmi Qadumi in Syria.
In their letter, the TGC stressed that both Unal and Qadumi were in Syria to perform their duties as journalists.
Reminding that Syria was obligated to respect the freedom of the press based on international agreements, the letter made a request to Brahimi to help the two journalists get released by Syrian officials.
Unal and Qadumi have been under custody for the past two months since they were kidnapped in Aleppo.
