Ahmet Ayva's prison sentence overturned by the Court of Cassation; 5 journalists arrested in Eskişehir-based investigation to go on trial in December; Diyarbakır court maintains travel ban in trial of 19 journalists

Ahmet Ayva's prison sentence overturned by the Court of Cassation

The Court of Cassation overturned the 1 year, 2 months, and 17 days prison sentence imposed by the Anadolu 62nd Criminal Court of First Instance on İlke TV presenter and journalist Ahmet Ayva for “insulting the president.” The 4th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation emphasized “freedom of expression” in its decision.

The process that led to Ayva's conviction began in 2018. The prosecutor in charge of the Press Crimes Investigation Bureau at the İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office at the time filed a lawsuit against Ayva's social media posts in 2016.

The Anadolu 62nd Criminal Court of First Instance ruled on the case in January 2021 and sentenced Ayva to prison. The İstanbul Regional Court of Appeals 3rd Criminal Chamber (acting as appellate court) upheld the first-instance court's decision in December 2021. Ayva appealed the case to the Supreme Court. The Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation stated that Ayva's defense was unfounded and requested that it be dismissed and the ruling upheld. However, the 4th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, which reviewed the case, overturned the first instance court's decision.

The High Court stated that Ayva did not mention any names in the post that was the subject of the case, that Ayva's other posts were also heavily critical in nature, and ruled that the elements of the crime of “insulting the president” were not present. The High Court sent the case back to the Anadolu 62nd Criminal Court of First Instance for retrial.

Journalists Soykan and Pehlivan to stand trial for “spreading false information”

A lawsuit has been filed against journalists Timur Soykan and Barış Pehlivan on charges of “spreading false information.”

 

The indictment, filed by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, stated that the investigation was launched over political commentary made by the two journalists during a Halk TV broadcast on 15 October 2024, which allegedly “undermined the public's sense of justice and disparaged the judiciary and other state institutions through the press, thereby collectively casting aspersions on judicial officials.”

The case has been accepted by the Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.

In his defense, Soykan said he had shared information with the public accurately and truthfully as part of his journalistic duty, and rejected the accusations. Pehlivan, for his part, stressed that he has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years and that his comments were based on official statements, open-source research, political reporting, and professional experience.

5 journalists arrested in Eskişehir-based investigation to go on trial in December 

Seven people, including five journalists, have been charged with “knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization” in an indictment that was prepared by the İstanbul Public Prosecutor's Office. The İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court, which accepted the indictment, scheduled the first hearing for 9 December 2025.

 

The indictment follows an investigation into writings published in Yeni Özgür Politika and PolitikArt, which the prosecutor claims serve as media organs for the PKK. Evidence cited in the case includes royalties paid to writers, bank transfers, and social media posts.

 

The indictment was filed on 11 September by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office after Eskişehir Public Prosecutor’s Office, which initiated the original investigation, declined jurisdiction. The defendants listed in the indictment are bianet editor Tuğçe Yılmaz, journalists Erdoğan Alayumat, Suzan Demir, Taylan Abatan, Gülcan Dereli, translator Serap Güneş, and sociologist Berfin Atlı.

 

The indictment alleges that the defendants, through their published articles and news, “knowingly and willingly helped” a terrorist organization under Article 220/7 of the Turkish Penal Code. It claims that the defendants’ work serves to legitimize the PKK’s goals and aims, which, the prosecutor argues, exceeds the protections of press freedom and amounts to “aiding a terrorist organization.”

 

The case originates from an investigation by the Eskişehir Public Prosecutor's Office, which led to police raids in İstanbul, Diyarbakır, Ankara, Batman and Antalya on 26 November 2024 and the arrests of nine journalists and several other individuals connected to the two media outlets. Two of the journalists were subsequently imprisoned pending trial and kept behind bars until July while others were released under judicial control.

 

Halk TV editor, journalists indicted for “insulting the president” over September 2024 remarks

The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in İstanbul has filed an indictment against Halk TV Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş and journalists Mehmet Tezkan and İbrahim Kahveci on charges of “insulting the president.” The indictment, prepared by the Press Crimes Investigation Bureau, lists President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the complainant.

 

According to the indictment, Tezkan and Kahveci appeared as guests on a Halk TV program aired on 23 September 2024, during which remarks were made that allegedly insulted the president. Toktaş was named as a defendant due to his editorial responsibility for the channel’s broadcasts.

 

The Bakırköy 18th Criminal Court of First Instance has accepted the indictment but it was not immediately clear when the trial was due to begin.

Indictment against jailed journalist Furkan Karabay accepted

An indictment filed against journalist Furkan Karabay on charges of “insulting the president,” "disclosing names of individuals involved in the fight against terrorism” and “insulting a public official” has been accepted by the İstanbul 25th High Criminal Court.

The first hearing will be held on 2 December 2025.

The indictment against Karabay, who was imprisoned pending trial on 15 May on charges of “insulting the president” and “disclosing names of individuals involved in the fight against terrorism” over his social media posts, was completed on 5 September. In addition to his social media posts, Karabay's statements made during his detention review on 11 July at the Istanbul 4th Criminal Court of Peace were also considered criminal offenses in the indictment.

Click here to read the details of the article.

Indictment filed against Bahadır Özgür for “insult”

In a statement on his social media account, journalist Bahadır Özgür announced that an indictment had been filed against him on the charge of “insult” following a complaint by Emrullah Turanlı, owner of Taş Yapı.

Özgür stated that his use of the expressions “one of the contractors close to the President...” and “a supporter of the Palace...” in reference to Turanlı were the subject of the charges.

RTÜK vows action after TELE 1 journalist's Alevi remarks 

Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog has said it will take swift action against opposition broadcaster TELE 1 after its chief editor, Merdan Yanardağ, spoke of an “abundance of traitors” among Alevis, a religious minority, in apparent reference to internal disputes within the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) amid a wave of arrests targeting its key mayors and politicians.

 

The head of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), Ebubekir Şahin, described the comment that was made during a program on 11 September as “hate speech” that threatens social peace.

 

Yanardağ, a well-known commentator, had already faced sanctions for calling the 15 July 2016 coup attempt an “Islamist coup” for which the government was primarily responsible. Following that remark, RTÜK imposed a five-day broadcast blackout on TELE 1 and fined the channel 5 percent of its monthly revenue. The blackout was enforced on September 1.

 

In his latest statement, Şahin said no expression that targets a community’s identity or undermines unity can be tolerated and pledged that RTÜK would act “without delay” under Turkey’s broadcasting law.

 

Several Alevi intellectuals, on the other hand, signed a public statement rejecting Şahin’s characterization of Yanardağ’s comments, saying the remarks were deliberately taken out of context for political purposes and defending Yanardağ’s “unwavering commitment to defending the rights of Alevis.”

 

Investigation launched against Fatoş Erdoğan

An investigation has been launched against journalist Fatoş Erdoğan on the charge of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility.”

Erdoğan, who gave a statement on 16 September as part of the investigation, said that three video news reports she shared in front of the CHP İstanbul Provincial Headquarters were the subject of the investigation.

Police intervention against journalists in Mersin

Police have intervened against journalists covering a march demanding the release of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in the Akdeniz district of Mersin province.

Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporters Kadir Ayten and Hamdullah Yağız Kesen, PİRHA reporter Fatoş Sarıkaya, and JinNews reporter Azize Akoğlu were subjected to police violence during the police break up.

Akoğlu's camera broke as a result of the attack.

Access blocked to Dicle Müftüoğlu and Özgür Paksoy's X accounts

On 15 September, access to the X accounts of journalist Dicle Müftüoğlu, former co-chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association, and journalist Özgür Paksoy was blocked.

P24 joins rights groups urging Turkey to end social media throttling

P24 Platform for Independent Journalism has joined ARTICLE 19 and 13 other human rights and press freedom organizations in a joint statement condemning recent bandwidth throttling in Turkey that disrupted access to social media and messaging apps. The restrictions followed protests over the removal of the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) local leadership and the subsequent police blockade of the party’s İstanbul headquarters.

 

The statement underlined that on the night of 7-8 September, platforms including X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal were inaccessible across İstanbul for about 21 hours. Protesters, journalists, and CHP members faced police intervention during demonstrations in front of the building.

 

The statement stressed that such internet shutdowns violate international human rights norms by restricting free expression, limiting access to information, and suppressing political dissent. They called on Turkish authorities to refrain from using throttling measures and to respect obligations under both national law and international human rights standards.

 

You can view the full text of the joint statement here.

Trial of Cumhuriyet newspaper reporter Engin Deniz İpek adjourned until February 2026

The second hearing in the case against 35 people, including Cumhuriyet newspaper reporter Engin Deniz İpek, who were detained at a rally in Saraçhane on the 100th day of İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's detention, on the charge of “failing to disperse despite warnings,” was held at the İstanbul 64th Criminal Court of First Instance on 19 September 2025.

The defendants and their lawyers were present at the hearing. The court decided to reject the lawyers' immediate acquittal requests.

The court decided to lift the judicial control measures because the defenses had been heard. The court also rejected the request by the defendants' lawyers to file a criminal complaint against the police officers who assaulted their clients on the day of the incident, and adjourned the trial until 25 February 2026.

Diyarbakır court maintains travel ban in trial of 19 journalists

A Diyarbakır court has ordered the return of digital materials to defendants but decided to keep in place the international travel ban in the ongoing trial of 19 journalists.

 

The court’s decision came at the end of the seventh hearing of the trial that was held on 18 September 2025 at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court. The journalists, who were arrested on 16 June 2022 in an investigation ordered by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, face charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” under Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law.

 

Defendants Ömer Çelik, Neşe Toprak, and Elif Üngür attended the hearing with their lawyers while journalist Aziz Oruç’s lawyer, Hazal Sümeli, joined via video link from İstanbul. The session was monitored by P24.

 

Witnesses called to testify stated they did not know the defendants and had never seen them.

 

Defense lawyers requested the lifting of the travel ban and the return of seized digital materials. The court rejected the request to lift the international travel ban but approved the return of digital materials, adjourning the trial until 20 January 2026.

 

More details from the hearing can be found in our report.

Züleyha Müldür's trial adjourned until February 2026

The second hearing in the trial of Züleyha Müldür, a reporter for the Active News Agency (ETHA), who is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization,” (TCK 314/2), was held at the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court on 18 September 2025.

Along with Müldür, Socialist Women’s Councils (SKM) Central Executive Committee member Ezgi Gürbüz and Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) Executive Committee member Simay Ada Kart are being tried in custody on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” within the scope of the same case file.

The prosecutor requested that the defendants remain in detention.

The court decided to release Gürbüz and Kart under house arrest. The court decided to maintain the judicial control measures against Müldür and adjourned the trial until 26 February 2026.

Müldür, who was imprisoned pending trial on 24 January, was released at the first hearing on 25 June.

Asuman Aranca's case adjourned until October

The third hearing in the trial of T24 reporter Asuman Aranca, who is being tried on charges of “violating the confidentiality of the investigation” over a news story she wrote, was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 16 September 2025.

Aranca did not attend the hearing, citing a valid reason.

The court decided to give Aranca one last chance to present her defense regarding the prosecutor’s opinion on the case and adjourned the trial until 21 October 2025.

At least 33 journalists and media workers behind bars in Turkey

As of 19 September 2025, there are at least 33 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.