Karabay sentenced for insulting Erdoğan and naming chief prosecutor, released after 201 days; prosecutors seek prison term for journalist Elif Akgül over decade-old reporting; court releases suspect in armed attack on Evrensel’s İzmir office

Prosecutors seek prison term for journalist Elif Akgül over decade-old reporting

Prosecutors have requested a prison sentence for journalist Elif Akgül on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” during the second hearing of her trial on 4 December 2025. At the same hearing, the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court refused to lift her international travel ban, despite objections from her defense team.

The court acknowledged the lawyers’ request for more time to prepare their statements, noting that the indictment had been uploaded to the digital judicial system only a few hours before the hearing and well after business hours. The trial was adjourned until 20 January 2026.

Defense lawyer Batıkan Erkoç also informed the court that Akgül had been invited to the German Parliament to receive an award, arguing that the continued travel ban constituted a violation of her rights and negatively affected the country’s international reputation.

Akgül, an experienced courthouse reporter, was arrested in February 2025 as part of a sweeping operation targeting the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), an umbrella platform formed in the early 2010s by pro-Kurdish and left-wing parties and groups. She spent more than three months in pre-trial detention, accused on the basis of her participation in meetings and recorded phone calls. Akgül has said she first took part in HDK activities as a citizen and later followed them in her professional capacity as a journalist. One of the phone calls presented as evidence was a routine conversation with her editor.

Journalists Ercüment Akdeniz and Yıldız Tar were also detained in the same February 2025 operation and spent time in prison; all three are being tried separately. The indictment alleges that the HDK constitutes “the urban structure of the PKK” and characterizes all activities connected to it as “terrorist activity."

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Trial of 4 journalists facing 3 charges adjourned until January 2026

The fourth hearing in the trial of journalists Timur Soykan, Barış Pehlivan, Şule Aydın, and Murat Ağırel on charges of “spreading false information,” “violating the confidentiality of the investigation,” and “insulting the religious values embraced by a segment of the public” was held at the Bakırköy 34th Criminal Court of First Instance on 4 December 2025.

The defendants and their lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

The journalists presented their defense, denied the charges, stated that they were being tried for their journalistic activities, and requested acquittal.

After the lawyers also presented their defense, the court gave the defendants' lawyers time to submit written statements and postponed the case until 22 January 2026.

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Journalist Tuğçe Yılmaz tried for “insulting the nation” over bianet report on Armenian youths

The first hearing in the trial of journalist Tuğçe Yılmaz, charged with “insulting the Turkish nation” over a news article, took place on 2 December 2025 at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. The case concerns Yılmaz’s report titled “Armenian youths speak out: 109-year-long mourning,” published on the rights-based digital news outlet bianet. Yılmaz is known for her reporting on minority rights and ecology.

In her defense, Yılmaz said the prosecution rested solely on a complaint submitted by an individual to the Presidential Communications Center (CİMER). “We do not know this person or their motives,” she said. “Yet I was detained while walking down the street based entirely on this one person’s complaint.”

Her lawyer, Deniz Yazgan, argued that Yılmaz was being prosecuted for her journalistic work and that merely referring to the “Armenian Genocide” in the article did not constitute a criminal offense.

The prosecutor requested time to prepare their final opinion. The court accepted the request and adjourned the hearing until 21 April 2026.

Karabay sentenced for insulting Erdoğan and naming chief prosecutor, released after 201 days

Journalist Furkan Karabay was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison on 2 December 2025 after an Istanbul court found him guilty on three of the four charges brought by prosecutors. Taking into account the 201 days he spent in pre-trial detention, the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court also ordered his release pending appeal.

Karabay received 1 year and 9 months for “insulting the president,” 1 year and 3 months for “insulting a public official,” and 1 year and 3 months for “disclosing the identity of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek within the scope of his counterterrorism duties.” He was acquitted of similar charges concerning chief prosecutors Can Tuncay and Ahmet Şahin.

During the hearing, Karabay refused to present a defense, stating that he was protesting “all unlawful and irregular court decisions in Turkey.” He denounced the indictment as lacking any meaningful substance, -“like a betting slip”, in his words- and tore it up in front of the judges and the prosecutor.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s lawyer requested to join the proceedings as a co-plaintiff, arguing that the alleged insults had caused harm. The court accepted the request. The complaint had been filed by Erdoğan, his sons Bilal and Ahmet Burak, and his daughter Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar. The “insult” allegation related to a YouTube broadcast in which Karabay subtly implied that the family had enriched itself.

In its final opinion, the prosecution asked for Karabay’s conviction on all charges and requested that he remain in detention. After the court issued its verdict and ordered his release, the prosecutor’s office appealed the release decision.

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Court releases suspect in armed attack on Evrensel’s İzmir office

An İzmir court has ordered the release of an individual accused of carrying out an armed attack on Evrensel newspaper’s İzmir office, following the second hearing of the trial. The hearing took place on 1 December 2025 at the İzmir 42nd Criminal Court of First Instance and concerns two defendants charged in connection with the attack on the night of 13 August.

Evrensel’s lawyers told the court that the investigation remained incomplete, noting in particular the unresolved questions surrounding the weapon used in the attack. They requested that the primary suspect, identified as İsa Can Biler, remain in custody until the gaps in the investigation were addressed.

The prosecutor, arguing that there was no risk of tampering with evidence, requested Biler’s release. Biler, denying responsibility for the incident, told the court: “If I were the gunman, I would not have done this with Halil Yapıcı,” he said. referring to the co-defendant accused of driving him to the newspaper’s offices. “I would make a plan and go into hiding, he said.”

In its interim ruling, the court ordered Biler’s release under an international travel ban. The trial was adjourned until 5 March 2026.

The attack took place late on 12 August 2025, when shots were fired at the newspaper’s sign and entrance door. Ten bullet holes were later found on the building’s exterior, with several directly striking the Evrensel sign. Biler, identified as the shooter, was arrested and placed in pre-trial detention, while Yapıcı was released pending trial.

At least 27 journalists and media workers behind bars in Turkey

According to information recently obtained by Expression Interrupted, journalist Can Taşkın, who runs a small news website in the Central Anatolian city of Nevşehir, was placed in pre-trial detention on 1 September over a report he published and has remained in custody since. With his arrest now included in the count, and following Furkan Karabay's release, at least 27 journalists and media workers were in prison in Turkey as of 5 December 2025, either awaiting trial or serving finalized sentences.

The full list can be accessed here.