LeMan cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan released after 139 days in jail as dual trials continue; arrest warrant issued for Ayşenur Arslan in trial of 9 journalists; Hayko Bağdat acquitted in retrial

Investigation against Alican Uludağ for “spreading false information”

The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation against journalist Alican Uludağ on the charge of “spreading false information” for writing that Berk Akand, convicted in the Şule Çet murder case, had been released.

Uludağ wrote that Akand, who was sentenced to 18 years and 9 months in prison for aiding and abetting murder, aiding and abetting sexual assault, and deprivation of liberty, had been released. Sharing a photo of Akand taken at a vacation spot, Uludağ wrote, "He was released after approximately 7 years and 3 months. We have such an execution system that it gives criminals ‘courage’."

Following Uludağ's post, the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a statement saying that Akand had not been released. It stated that Akand had been transferred to an open prison as required by law, that his sentence was being served there, but that he had been sent back to a closed prison following the photo sharing.

Mehmet Üçar's case adjourned until February 2026

The second hearing in the trial of journalist Mehmet Üçar on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the Batman 2nd High Criminal Court on 20 November 2025.

Üçar did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer was present.

The court decided to postpone the case until 12 February 2026, ordering an address search to be conducted in order to take the statement of Berfin Atlı, who had been summoned as a witness.

Üçar had been detained for 225 days on the grounds that he prepared news stories and articles for the newspaper Yeni Özgür Politika and the magazine PolitikArt, both published in Europe.

Trial of Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat postponed until January 2026

The fourth hearing in the case against journalists Esra Solin Dal, Mehmet Aslan, and Erdoğan Alayumat on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court on 20 November 2025.

The journalists did not attend the hearing, but their lawyers, Emine Özhasar and Ayşe Özdemir, were present in the courtroom.

The presiding judge read out the decision to combine the new indictment filed based on the statements of the secret witness with the code name “K8Ç4B3L1T5,” who had previously testified against many journalists, with the existing case file.

The court postponed the case until 22 January 2026, to hear Aslan's defense within the scope of the combined case file.

Trial of journalist Tolga Şardan postponed until April 2026

The fourth hearing in the trial of journalist Tolga Şardan, who is charged with “spreading false information” and “publicly denigrating the state's judicial organs” over an article regarding allegations of “corruption in the judiciary,” was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 20 November 2025.

While Şardan did not attend the hearing, his lawyers Özlem Günel Tekşen and Gökhan Tekşen were present. P24 monitored the hearing.

Şardan's lawyer, Özlem Günel Tekşen, submitted the precedent decision of the Ankara Regional Court of Appeals 22nd Criminal Chamber to the case file. Tekşen stated that the ruling emphasized that the “obligation to verify information, whether true or false, constitutes a serious blow to journalism” and that it is unlawful to accept statements alone made by public authorities as factual.

Recalling that his client was also charged with “publicly denigrating judicial bodies,” lawyer Gökhan Tekşen said that the investigation against judge Sidar Demiroğlu, who was also mentioned in the news report following the letter of complaint by former Anadolu Chief Prosecutor İsmail Uçar, had been completed by the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). Tekşen requested that a writ be issued to the 7th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, where Demiroğlu's trial will take place, requesting that a copy of the case file be sent to the court.

Announcing its interim decision, the court accepted Tekşen's request and decided to issue a writ to the 7th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation. The trial was adjourned until 30 April 2026.

Arrest warrant issued for Ayşenur Arslan in trial of 9 journalists

The 12th hearing in the case in which journalists Barış Terkoğlu, Barış Pehlivan, Can Bursalı, Nevzat Çiçek, Doğan Akın, Gökmen Karadağ, Ayşenur Arslan, Fatih Portakal, and Can Özçelik are charged with “insult” and “defamation” was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 20 November 2025.

The hearing, monitored by P24, was attended by Mehmet Ruşen Gültekin, the lawyer for Terkoğlu, Pehlivan, and Karadağ; Abdullah Karademir, the lawyer for Portakal; Bülent Uğurses, the lawyer for former Tefal CEO Mustafa Kılıç, who is a defendant in the case; and Canan Hatice Kuzu, the lawyer for Çiçek. The defendants did not attend the hearing.

It was learned during the hearing that the plaintiff, Mustafa Doğan İnal, had withdrawn his complaint.

During the hearing, the lawyers for Terkoğlu, Karadağ, and Portakal emphasized that their clients' actions constituted journalistic activity.

The lawyers requested acquittal for their clients and, if this was not possible, requested that the case be dismissed on the grounds that İnal had withdrawn his complaint.

The court issued a warrant for the arrest of Ayşenur Arslan, whose statement had not been taken. The court concluded that re-hearing Can Özçelik, whose testimony had already been taken, would not contribute to the trial and ruled to reverse the interim decision to hear Özçelik.

The trial was postponed until 30 April 2026.

Journalist Hayko Bağdat acquitted in retrial on charge of insulting bank manager

Journalist Hayko Bağdat was acquitted of “insult” in the retrial of a case initiated after a complaint by Adnan Bali, General Manager of Türkiye İş Bankası, one of the country’s largest banks. The complaint was prompted by a comment Bağdat posted on social media.

Bağdat had been fined in the original proceedings, but the Constitutional Court overturned the verdict during the appeal, ruling that his freedom of expression had been violated and ordering a retrial.

On 20 November 2025, the Istanbul 55th Criminal Court of First Instance complied with the high court’s ruling and acquitted Bağdat.

LeMan cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan released after 139 days in jail as dual trials continueDoğan Pehlevan, a cartoonist for the cult satirical magazine LeMan, was released after spending 139 days behind bars following the publication of a cartoon that allegedly depicted the prophets Muhammad and Moses.

The Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance ordered his release under judicial control on 18 November 2025, during a hearing of a trial in which he is charged with “insulting the president” over posts allegedly made from his social media account. The decision came despite the prosecutor’s request to keep him in detention. Last week, another court overseeing the separate trial of six LeMan staff members for publishing the controversial cartoon had also ruled for Pehlevan’s release, but he remained in prison pending the outcome of the insult case. Pehlevan and his colleagues have consistently denied that the cartoon depicted the prophet.

Pehlevan is now subject to judicial control measures, including a travel ban and weekly reporting requirements. His trial was adjourned until 24 March 2026.

Pehlevan was detained along with five other LeMan staff members after a social media campaign targeted the cartoon on the evening of 30 June 2025. The case drew national attention when Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared footage of the detentions on his official social media account. All of the defendants except Pehlevan were later released pending trial. During the investigation, prosecutors sought to open a separate case against Pehlevan for allegedly insulting the president on social media, leaving him to face two simultaneous proceedings.

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Court maintains travel ban on journalist Vedat Örüç in ongoing terrorism trial

A Mersin court has decided to keep the international travel ban on journalist Vedat Örüç in place, adjourning the trial in which he is accused of “membership in a terrorist organization” until 8 January 2026.

Örüç, who works in the Çukurova region covering Adana and Mersin, faces the charge based on his social security records, exchanges with colleagues, and phone communications. He was detained on 20 January 2025 along with five other journalists in a multi-city operation targeting staff of the pro-Kurdish outlet Medya Haber TV. Örüç spent 130 days in pre-trial detention before being released at the first hearing on 29 May.

At the third hearing on 18 November, the Mersin 6th High Criminal Court ordered the travel ban to remain in effect and asked for clarification on the status of Örüç’s digital materials. The proceedings were postponed to 8 January 2026. Örüç previously contributed a long-form journalistic piece to P24’s climate platform, Gezegen.

Last week, journalist Rahime Karvar, arrested in the same operation, was sentenced by an Istanbul court to 1 year and 13 months in prison on the charge of “aiding a terrorist organization.”

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Court to await the outcome of Abdullah Kaya's case at the Court of Cassation

The 16th hearing in the case against Abdullah Kaya, a reporter for the now-closed Dicle News Agency (DİHA), who is charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” and “aiding a terrorist organization” was held at the Ağrı 2nd High Criminal Court on 18 November 2025.

Kaya participated in the hearing via the judicial videoconferencing system, while his lawyer did not attend the hearing, citing an excuse.

In his defense, Kaya said he was a journalist and that journalism was not a crime.

After the defense, the court decided to await the outcome of the case at the Court of Cassation and postponed the trial until 22 January 2026.

At least 27 journalists and media workers behind bars in Turkey

Following the release of Doğan Pehlevan, as of 21 November 2025, there are at least 27 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.