Top court rules rights of Tayfun Kahraman violated in Gezi case; Fatih Altaylı to appear in court in October; Ercüment Akdeniz remains in detention as the court did not hear the dead witness

TELE 1 to go off air for five days this week

Opposition broadcaster TELE 1 is set to go off air for five days beginning midnight on 6 August as per a penalty imposed by Turkey’s media regulator, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK).

The penalty, issued on July 24, targets remarks by TELE 1 Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardağ on the program “4 Questions, 4 Answers,” in which he stated, “The July 15 coup attempt was an Islamist coup. The main culprit behind this coup is the AKP government.” RTÜK claimed the comments incited “hatred and hostility among the public” and imposed both a five-day blackout and a 5 percent administrative fine.

The station was officially notified of the penalty on 1 August. Unless a court grants a stay of execution, TELE 1 is expected to go off air at midnight on 6 August, between Wednesday and Thursday.

Prior to TELE 1’s penalty, Sözcü TV had its broadcasts suspended for 10 days starting midnight on 8 July, also by order of RTÜK. Halk TV, another opposition broadcaster, also received a 10-day broadcast ban penalty but its execution was suspended by an administrative court upon Halk TV’s appeal. Under the Law no. 6112 on radios and televisions, the license of a broadcaster could be revoked permanently if it is found to have violated the same provision of the law for a third time within the same year.

“With this five-day blackout, TELE 1 joins Sözcü TV and Halk TV in facing the threat of license revocation,” Tuncay Keser, RTÜK board member from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on X.

Top court rules rights of Tayfun Kahraman violated in Gezi case

The Constitutional Court has ruled that Tayfun Kahraman, imprisoned in the Gezi Park case since 2022, had his “right to a fair trial” violated. In its ruling, the court stated that the connection between the charges brought against Kahraman and the acts of violence in the incidents could not be established.

The top court, however, refrained from ordering Kahraman's release, referring the decision to the trial court. The Constitutional Court's decision, adopted by a majority vote, requires that Kahraman be retried in the Gezi case.

Kahraman, along with co-defendants Can Atalay, Çiğdem Mater Utku, Ali Hakan Altınay, Mine Özerden, Ayşe Mücella Yapıcı, and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi, were convicted of “aiding and abetting an attempt to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey" and sentenced to 18 years in prison in the original trial. The verdict of the İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court was upheld by the Court of Cassation on 25 April 2022.

Jailed journalist Fatih Altaylı to appear in court in October for "threatening the president"

An İstanbul court has accepted an indictment charging journalist Fatih Altaylı with “threatening the president” under Article 106/1 of the Turkish Criminal Code. The first hearing is scheduled for 3 October 2025 at Courtroom No. 2, across from the Marmara Prison Complex in Silivri, İstanbul.

The charges stem from comments Altaylı made during a broadcast on his YouTube channel on 20 June, in response to a public opinion poll suggesting that 70 percent of Turkish citizens opposed the idea of the president remaining in power indefinitely. He was arrested the following day and formally imprisoned pending trial on 22 June. In his statement during the investigation phase, Altaylı denied the accusations, arguing that his remarks were not intended as a threat but as a historical reference emphasizing the importance of democratic choice.

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office finalized the indictment on 17 July, interpreting Altaylı’s comments as a direct threat against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The indictment alleges that Altaylı committed the crime of making threats by “referring to a potential attack on the president’s life.” Prosecutors further argued that the video was broadcast publicly via press and media, and that its widespread circulation demonstrated clear intent to disseminate the message.

President Erdoğan is listed in the indictment as the complainant, represented through his legal counsel.

Newspaper distributor Hamdullah Bayram remains in detention

The first hearing in the trial of newspaper distributor Hamdullah Bayram, who is accused of violating a ban on leaving the country, was held on 31 July 2025.

Bayram's lawyer Resul Temur, members of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), the Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association (MKD), and members of the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD) attended the hearing. Bayram attended the hearing via the judicial videoconferencing system from the Van High Security Closed Prison where he is being held.

Temur said, “My client was distributing newspapers. There is only a statement from an anonymous witness who claims that he distributed printed newspapers and magazines. These are things that can be legally printed and distributed. We believe that the case will result in acquittal as it stands. We do not even consider judicial control measure appropriate at this stage. He should be released immediately.”

The court panel decided to continue Bayram's detention, citing the scope of the case file.

The trial was adjourned until 23 October 2025.

Hamdullah Bayram was imprisoned pending trial in 23 March 2023 as part of an investigation launched by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The court sentenced Bayram to 7 years and 6 months in prison on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” and imposed an international travel ban as judicial control measure. The court had issued an arrest warrant for Bayram on the grounds that he had violated the judicial control measure.

Investigation launched against journalist who reported on tree felling in Şırnak

An investigation has been launched against Mezopotamya Agency reporter Dilgeş Ruvanas, who reported on the felling of forests in Turkey’s southeastern province of Şırnak and its districts under the supervision of soldiers and shared the news on social media.

Ruvanas, along with his lawyer, went to the Cizre Gendarmerie District Station on 1 August to give a statement as part of an investigation initiated by the Şırnak Provincial Gendarmerie Command on the grounds of “inciting the people to hatred and hostility.”

The news reports Ruvanas published about the tree cutting, both on the Mezopotamya Agency platform where he works and on his personal social media accounts, have been deemed criminal.

Court refuses to release imprisoned journalist Ercüment Akdeniz in HDK trial

An İstanbul court on 31 July 2025 ruled to keep journalist Ercüment Akdeniz in imprisonment pending trial in a case where he faces charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” under Article 314 of the Turkish Criminal Code. The court rejected the request for his release, despite the fact that two witnesses rejected the statements they gave to police 14 years ago, saying they no longer remembered them; one witness had died in 2017; and another could not testify due to a technical issue.

Akdeniz, who has been in pre-trial detention for over 160 days, denied all charges in his defense at the İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court. He stated that he has worked as a journalist since 2010 for outlets including Hayat TV, Evrensel newspaper, and İlke TV, and emphasized his work on migration and political rights. “The indictment is full of false, groundless, and fabricated allegations. My constitutional rights are being criminalized,” he said.

The indictment accuses Akdeniz of participating in the 2013 protests against İstanbul’s Gezi Park project and of links to the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), a pro-Kurdish political platform. He refuted the claims, saying the protests were peaceful assembly and that he was not part of any organization. “There is no evidence of my participation in HDK meetings. The wiretaps show I was in contact only with EMEP members,” he said, referring to the party he left in 2023.

Akdeniz’s lawyers argued that there is no concrete evidence to justify his continued imprisonment. They highlighted the absence of a court ruling labeling HDK a terrorist organization, noting that it continues to operate openly in downtown İstanbul. “No armed group puts its name on a building sign and continues operations in plain sight,” said one lawyer.

The court ordered that witnesses, including one who has since died, be brought in forcibly for the next hearing. The trial was adjourned to 23 October 2025.

Akdeniz was among 50 people arrested in a police operation targeting HDK on 18 February 2025. He was jailed on 21 February following a four-day detention during which access to lawyers was restricted and the case file was sealed under confidentiality.

Click here to read more details from the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

At least 32 journalists and media workers behind bars in Turkey

As of 1 August 2025, there are at least 32 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either in pre-trial detention or serving a finalized sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.