Six journalists jailed; indictment filed in Halk TV investigation; Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı acquitted of “denigrating the Turkish nation”

Journalists Elif Akgül, Ercüment Akdeniz, Saime Oğuzhan and Yıldız Tar jailed

Four of the five journalists arrested on 18 February in the HDK investigation initiated by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office were imprisoned pending trial by the criminal judgeships of peace on duty on 20 February.

Former EMEP chairman and Kısa Dalga website writer Ercüment Akdeniz, former Bianet editor and freelance journalist Elif Akgül, Kentim Şişli newspaper License Owner Saime Oğuzhan, Kaos GL Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar were jailed on charges of “membership in an illegal organization,” while journalist Ender İmrek was released on house arrest on the same charge.

Ozan Kaplanoğlu jailed after 12 years for “insulting the prime minister”

Ozan Kaplanoğlu, Editor-in-Chief of Bursa Muhalif newspaper, was jailed after 12 years on charges of “insulting a public official” as part of a lawsuit filed against him in 2013.

Kaplanoğlu was charged with “insulting a public official” during protests against then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

As a result of the lawsuit, Kaplanoğlu was convicted. Kaplanoğlu was arrested on 5 February and sent to Bursa E Type Closed Prison to complete his 5,5-month sentence due to the revocation of his conditional release decision.

Former DİHA reporter Cengiz Oğlağı jailed

Cengiz Oğlağı, former Dicle News Agency (DİHA) reporter Cengiz Oğlağı was imprisoned pending trial on 19 February 2025 after an investigation was launched against him for taking footage of a street protest in Cizre district of Şırnak in 2015

An investigation was launched against the shut down DİHA reporter Oğlağı on the allegation of “membership in a terrorist organization.”

Oğlağı was brought to Cizre Courthouse after his procedures were completed at the police station. Giving his statement at the Criminal Judgeship of Peace, Oğlağı stated that he was a reporter at the Dicle News Agency at the time and said, “I heard music because the specified place was close to my house, I went towards it, and I took the footage with the handheld camera I had in my hand because I am a reporter. I recorded it because it was newsworthy, any other journalist in my place would have done the same thing. I have no connection with the organization.”

The court ruled for the imprisonment of Oğlağı on the grounds that there was concrete evidence indicating that the alleged crime had been committed. Oğlağı was sent to Şırnak T Type Closed Prison.

Lawsuit filed against Sibel Hürtaş for calling police officer "torturer" in her court defense

In 2020, journalist Sibel Hürtaş, who was battered and detained while covering the protest in front of the Parliament during the debates of the regulation known as the “multiple bar association system” at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), was sentenced to 8 months and 10 days in prison in 2023 at the Ankara 37th Criminal Court of First Instance. The prison sentence was later converted into a judicial fine of TL 10,000.

Even though the verdict in the case was announced, another incident took place as a continuation of this case. A police officer filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office after Hürtaş used the term “torturer” in her defense against the police officers who detained her forecefuly. After the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office processed the complaint, an indictment was filed against Hürtaş on the charge of “insulting a public official.”

The indictment was accepted by the Ankara 55th Criminal Court of First Instance and the first hearing date was set for 7 April 2025.

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Indictment filed in Halk TV investigation

An indictment has been prepared against journalist Barış Pehlivan, Halk TV Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş, Halk TV Coordinator Kürşad Oğuz, Halk TV presenter Seda Selek and Halk TV Managing Director Serhan Asker, who are being investigated for publishing the interview with the expert whose name was revealed by İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The indictment charged Barış Pehlivan and Kürşad Oğuz with “recording non-public conversations between individuals,” “influencing a person performing judicial duty” and “broadcasting recorded conversations through the press.”

Suat Toktaş, who was imprisoned pending trial within the scope of the investigation, and Seda Selek and Serhan Asker, who were released under judicial control measure, were charged with “influencing a person performing judicial duty” and “publishing recorded conversations through the press.”

As part of the investigation, Pehlivan was detained on the evening of 28 January by police officers who arrived at the Halk TV building. On the same evening, Halk TV programmers Seda Selek and Serhan Asker were also detained.

Pehlivan and Selek were taken to the Çağlayan Courthouse on 29 January for their statements to the prosecutor's office. Following the journalists' statements to the prosecutor's office, Oğuz and Toktaş were also brought to Çağlayan Courthouse for their statements.

Selek and Asker gave statement to the prosecutor at the terrorism bureau on allegations of “influencing a person performing judicial duty” and “publishing recorded conversations through the press” and were released under judicial control measures. Pehlivan, Oğuz and Toktaş were referred to the criminal judgeship of peace on duty for arrest.

The 5th Criminal Judgeship of Peace arrested Toktaş on the grounds of “suspicion of fleeing, hiding and destroying evidence”. Pehlivan and Oğuz were released with a three-day signature requirement at the police station and a ban on leaving the country.

Indictment filed against Özlem Gürses

An indictment was prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against journalist Özlem Gürses, the Para Politik (Money Politics) presenter of Sözcü TV, on the charge of “publicly humiliating the military organization of the state.”

Gürses was detained over remarks she made while evaluating the developments in northern Syria on her personal YouTube account on 19 December 2024. Gürses, who was sentenced to house arrest, was under house arrest for 53 days.

Medine Mamedoğlu briefly detained

Journalist Medine Mamedoğlu announced in a social media post on 15 February that she was detained while following a news report.

Noting that she was later released, Mamedoğlu said the following in her post: “Shortly after these images, we were detained at the exit of the municipality without any justification and handcuffed behind our backs. I was released after a statement was taken. Thank you to everyone who showed solidarity. I am going back to work.”

RTÜK fines Sözcü TV

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) fined the Sözcü TV channel over the remarks of TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan, who was a guest on the program of Özlem Gürses, stating that he had benefited from equal opportunities in his childhood and saying, “Now it is debatable how much a child from a village in Elazığ can come this far.”

İlhan Taşçı, a CHP member of RTÜK, announced on his X account that the channel was given a 3 percent administrative fine for “painting a pessimistic picture of decreasing equality of opportunity in Turkey.”

Indictment prepared against Reyhan Hacıoğlu

An indictment was filed against journalist Reyhan Hacıoğlu, who was arrested in house raids on 17 January as part of an İstanbul-based investigation and imprisoned pending trial on 20 January on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” (and sent to Van T Type Closed Prison.

The 46-page indictment prepared by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office describes the history and organizational structure of the PKK/KCK.

The indictment cited Reyhan Hacıoğlu's program “Haftanın Politiği,” (Politics of the Week) in which violations in prisons, violence against women, isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, arrests and operations against journalists were discussed, as evidence for the crime.

Abdullah Kaya briefly detained

Ağrı journalist Abdullah Kaya was detained on 19 February on charges of “terrorism propaganda” over his Facebook post titled "Leyla Güven için yapılan özel şarkı" (Special song composed for Leyla Güven.”

During his testimony at Ağrı Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Kaya stated that there was a Kurdish song sung by Ayfer Düztaş in the video and that he shared it because he liked the song.

Following his statement to the prosecutor's office, Kaya was released under an international travel ban.

Access block to JinNews and Mezopotamya Agency

Access to Mezopotamya Agency's (MA) website and JinNews' X account has been blocked.

MA's website “mezopotamyaajansi41.com” was made inaccessible by the decision of Adıyaman 2nd Criminal Judgeship of Peace. While the details of the decision are unknown, the agency has launched “mezopotamyaajansi42.com.”

Access to JinNews' X account @JinNews_turkce was also blocked in Turkey. X did not make a statement about the reason for the closure. However, the organization's @jinnewsturkce account was also censored in the past days.

On the other hand, X accounts of journalists Ruşen Takva and Oktay Candemir have been also blocked.

Access block to journalists' posts on Abdullah Zeydan

Access to social media posts on the suspension of Van Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Abdullah Zeydan has been blocked.

Evrensel newspaper reporter Şerif Karataş's post on his X account was blocked by Van 2nd Criminal Judicature of Peace on 15 February 2025.

The video shared by journalist Ruşen Takva on his X account about Abdullah Zeydan's dismissal was blocked from access by the same court's decision dated 15 February 2025.

Takva was arrested on 15 February on the charge of “spreading false information” over the same post.

Prosecutor demands sentencing for journalist Furkan Karabay

The second hearing in the trial of journalist Furkan Karabay on charges of “insulting the president,” “insul” and “defamation” upon the complaint of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his sons Bilal Erdoğan and Ahmet Burak Erdoğan and his daughter Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar was held at the İstanbul 56th Criminal Court of First Instance on 21 February 2025.

Karabay and her lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

After the identification, Karabay made his defense and said, “The speeches subject to the lawsuit are about the events in my book ‘Gurban’ published by Tekin Publishing House. The information I mentioned in the book is based on documents. I did not say any defaming or insulting words. I have no criminal intent.”

Karabay's lawyer Enes Hikmet Ermaner said that the words in the indictment were not uttered by his client for the first time and that they had been widely discussed in public before. Ermaner said, “The book ‘Gurban’ written by the client is based on the words of a person named Mübariz Mansimov and the information he found as a result of his research on him. The client also spoke about this book on Mirgün Cabas' program on YouTube. We do not accept the efforts to criminalize our client. The elements of the accusations have not been formed” and demanded Karabay's acquittal.

The lawyer for President Erdoğan and his family requested to join the case and demanded that Karabay be punished: “The defense that the defendant's statements constituting a crime were not said by the defendant for the first time is not acceptable. According to the practice of the Court of Cassation, statements that constitute insult and slander constitute a crime both for the first utterer and for the one who utters them by passing them on. The defense of the defendant and the defendant is full of general statements and has no concrete basis. Due to the defendant's personality traits and the ongoing prosecutions and investigations against him, and that the offense was committed publicly to multiple people, we demand the maximum penalty for the crime committed.”

Presenting their final opinion on the case, the prosecutor demanded that Karabay be sentenced for all charges.

Karabay's lawyer requested time to make a statement against the final opinion.

The court accepted the time request and adjourned the trial until 18 April 2025.

Karabay, who appeared as a guest on Mirgün Cabas' YouTube program on 19 January 2024, is on trial over his statements in the program. According to the indictment, Karabay said, “I think he got what he would get here as his family. His family is already in a good place in maritime transportation. They have a good capital, the Isle of Man documents were also revealed here, I think Erdoğan got what he was going to get...,” “...he got what he was going to get in terms of capital...,” and it is stated that there is an allegation of unlawful gains and that the element of publicity in the crime is formed since many people saw the video published on YouTube.

“Boğaziçi exhibition case” adjourned

The 13th hearing in the trial of seven students on charges of “inciting the public to hatred and enmity” over an image in an exhibition organized as part of the protests against Boğaziçi University Rector Melih Bulu, who was appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was held at the İstanbul 21st Criminal Court of First Instance on 21 February 2025.

The case was adjourned to a later date due to the court judge's leave of absence.

Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı acquitted of “denigrating the Turkish nation”

The third hearing in the trial of Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, former Chair of the Central Council of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) and Board Member of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), on charges of “denigrating the Turkish Nation, the State of the Republic of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the judicial organs of the state” was held at the İstanbul 69th Criminal Court of First Instance on 20 February 2025.

Şebnem Korur Fincancı and her lawyer did not attend the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

Presenting their final opinion on the case, the prosecutor stated that Şebnem Korur Fincancı's speeches did not constitute the legal elements of the crime and demanded her acquittal.

The court acquitted Fincancı in line with the prosecutor's final opinion.

The indictment against Fincancı was issued following a denunciation sent by an anonymous person via Presidential Directorate of Communications (CİMER). The indictment lists as evidence the statements of Fincancı, who was a guest on a program broadcast on YouTube on 6 July 2021, on torture.

Pınar Gayıp's case file separated in retrial

The sixth hearing in the retrial of journalist Pınar Gayıp and two other defendants on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” was held at the İstanbul 23rd High Criminal Court on 19 February 2025.

Gayıp stated that she was arrested over her journalistic activities and requested additional time for defense.

The court decided to separate the case against Gayıp.

Prison sentence handed to Beritan Canözer in retrial

The retrial of journalist Beritan Canözer on charges of “terrorism propaganda” over her social media posts about the curfews and clashes in Sur district of Diyarbakır in 2015, when she worked for now-defunct JINHA news agency, was held at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court on 18 February 2025.

Canözer did not attend the hearing, while his lawyer Muharrem Erbey was present.

Taking the floor at the hearing, her lawyer Erbey said, “Journalistic activity in the region is criminalized. Journalists who criticize the government and report on events in the region are seen as criminals. Journalistic activity is considered a crime” and demanded acquittal.

The court decided to announce the verdict of 1 year and 3 months of imprisonment previously given for “terrorism propaganda,” which was deferred.

An indictment was prepared against Canözer on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” over her social media posts. The Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court acquitted the journalist, but the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Appeals overturned the acquittal on the charge of “terrorism propaganda.” At the end of the retrial, Canözer was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison and the sentence was deferred.

Canözer was sentenced to 1 year, 10 months and 15 days in another case at the Diyarbakır 11th High Criminal Court on the charge of “terrorism propaganda” over her social media posts. After the Court of Cassation upheld this verdict, the Diyarbakır 11th High Criminal Court sentenced Canözer to 1 year and 3 months in prison for “terrorism propaganda” and notified the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court, which had deferred the sentence. The court then ordered Canözer to stand trial again.

Şehriban Aslan acquitted

The second hearing in the trial of journalist Şehriban Aslan and two alleged news sources on the charge of violating the confidentiality of private life” through a news report published in JinNews on the irregular use of vehicles at Diyarbakır Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services was held at the Diyarbakır 16th Criminal Court of First Instance on 17 February 2025.

Şehriban Aslan did not attend the hearing while her lawyer Resul Temur, the other two defendants as well their lawyers and the plaintiff’s lawyer were present.

The prosecutor presented their final opinion on the case and demanded the acquittal of all defendants. The court acquitted all defendants.

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At least 39 journalists and media workers in prison

Following the imprisonment of six journalists, as of 21 February 2025, there are at least 39 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either in pre-trial detention or serving a sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.