Prosecutors launch money laundering probe into Ekol TV; journalists acquitted of “spreading false information;” Perihan Kaya given jail term; prosecutor demands sentencing for five journalists

Prosecutors launch money laundering probe into Ekol TV weeks after shutdownThe Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation on 8 January 2026 into allegations of “money laundering” involving Ekol TV, a private broadcaster that ceased operations only two weeks earlier, citing financial sustainability problems.

The investigation names four suspects. Among them is Azerbaijani businessperson Mübariz Mansimov, the channel’s official owner, and Emrah Doğru, its former editor-in-chief. Another suspect is Veysel Şahin, a Turkish Cyprus–based businessman accused of operating illegal betting networks, who is alleged to have been Ekol TV’s undisclosed partner and de facto owner. Şahin was sentenced in 2017 to ten years and six months in prison, but was controversially released in 2023. He later left the country despite having received a separate prison sentence of more than twenty-one years in another illegal betting case.

The fourth individual under investigation is prominent media lawyer Ersan Şen. According to several journalists, Şen was involved in the channel’s establishment. However, in a statement issued on 9 January, Şen denied having any commercial ties to Ekol TV.

Ekol TV began broadcasting on 29 April 2024 and quickly drew public attention after recruiting several high-profile journalists and commentators.

The broadcaster was initially founded by Mansimov, the owner of Palmali Group, a global maritime logistics company. In August 2025, Mansimov announced his withdrawal from Ekol TV and from media investments more broadly, triggering a sharp contraction in the channel’s operations. Ekol TV’s Ankara bureau was subsequently closed, and journalists reported that up to 300 employees were expected to lose their jobs. On 22 December 2025, the channel formally announced that it would cease broadcasting and shut down entirely.

The investigation into Ekol TV comes amid a broader tightening of scrutiny over the financial structures of media companies. On 16 December 2025, trustees were appointed to GAİN Media in a separate money laundering probe, signaling a shift toward more aggressive enforcement following a period widely seen as permissive.

Prosecutor invokes ECHR rulings against 5 journalists prosecuted over article fees

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has submitted its final opinion in the case against seven individuals, five of them journalists, who are on trial for “aiding a terrorist organization” in proceedings initiated by the Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in November 2024. The prosecutor has sought prison sentences for journalists Tuğçe Yılmaz, Erdoğan Alayumat, Suzan Demir, Taylan Abatan, and Gülcan Dereli, as well as translator Serap Güneş and sociologist Berfin Atlı. The charges are based on articles they published in the Germany-based outlets Yeni Özgür Politika and PolitikArt, as well as the commissioning fees they received for these contributions.

In the opinion submitted to the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court between hearings, the prosecutor argued that the defendants’ journalistic activities exceeded the boundaries of freedom of the press. Citing rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the cases of Leyla Zana and Kamil Tekin Sürek, the prosecutor maintained that restrictions on press freedom may be justified on grounds of national security and territorial integrity.

The opinion further claimed that Yeni Özgür Politika and its supplement PolitikArt are publications linked to the PKK/KCK. According to the prosecutor, the outlets contain “terrorism propaganda,” include articles attributed to organization leaders, and employ language critical of security forces. On this basis, the prosecution argued that the defendants’ contributions could not be considered legitimate journalistic activity.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 17 February at Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse. The court is expected to hear the defendants’ statements in response to the prosecutor’s opinion and may then proceed to deliver its verdict.

The case originates from an investigation launched by the Eskişehir Public Prosecutor’s Office, which led to police raids carried out on 26 November 2024 in Istanbul, Diyarbakır, Ankara, Batman, and Antalya. Nine journalists and several other individuals connected to the two publications were taken into custody during the operations. Two of the journalists, Mehmet Uçar and Bige Aksu, were later placed in pre-trial detention and remained imprisoned until July 2025, while others were released under judicial control in separate proceedings. The cases concerning seven defendants were subsequently merged, and judicial control measures were lifted at the first hearing held on 9 December 2025.

Click here to read the full article.

Journalists acquitted in case over coverage of "newborn gang" scandal

Three journalists were acquitted of charges of “spreading false information” over their reporting on a criminal network accused of exploiting newborn babies for profit through fraudulent social security claims. The case concerned a group known as the “Newborn Gang” (Yenidoğan Çetesi), in which 47 suspects were prosecuted for falsifying infants’ medical conditions, keeping newborns in intensive care units unnecessarily, and causing the deaths of at least ten babies due to inadequate treatment and neglect.

The investigation targeted Dinçer Gökçe, editor-in-chief of Halk TV’s news website; Nilay Can, editor-in-chief of the Gazete Pencere news website; journalist Veysi Dündar; and lawyer İrem Çiçek. They were accused of “spreading false information” in connection with their news reports and social media posts, specifically regarding claims that the prosecutor overseeing the investigation into the criminal network had been removed from his post. The reporting addressed a highly sensitive public interest issue, following an investigation that led to the cancellation of the licenses of ten private hospitals, nine of them in Istanbul.

At the final hearing held on 8 January 2026 at the 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance at Istanbul’s Bakırköy Courthouse, the defendants presented their defense statements in response to the prosecutor’s request for their conviction, submitted at the previous hearing.

The court acquitted journalists Dinçer Gökçe, Nilay Can, and Veysi Dündar in separate rulings, finding that the legal elements of the alleged offense had not been established. The hearing was monitored by P24.

For more details from the court session, click here.

Court eases judicial control measures but keeps travel ban on journalist Reyhan Hacıoğlu

The Van 2nd High Criminal Court has lifted journalist Reyhan Hacıoğlu’s obligation to report weekly to a police station, while ruling that the ban on her leaving the country would remain in force. The court's decision came at the end of the third hearing in Hacıoğlu's trial, which was held on 6 January.

Hacıoğlu, who has worked for pro-Kurdish media outlets including Özgür Gündem and its successor —established after the former was shut down— is on trial on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” as part of an Istanbul-based investigation.

During the hearing, Hacıoğlu’s lawyer, Nazmi Ayaz, argued that the television programs cited in the indictment consisted solely of political commentary and contained no calls, instructions, or directives attributable to any illegal organization. Ayaz stated that the prosecution’s assessment was based on the broadcaster rather than the content of the programs themselves, warning that this approach posed a serious legal risk.

Ayaz also maintained that the prolonged judicial control measures violated the presumption of innocence and requested that all restrictions be lifted.

The court ruled to remove the weekly reporting requirement but decided to maintain the travel ban. It also ordered that journalist Velat Ekin be heard as a witness at the next hearing and adjourned the case until 3 March 2026.

More details from the hearing, which was monitored by P24, can be accessed here.

The trial of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin adjourned until May

The second hearing in the trial of Joakim Medin, foreign correspondent for the Swedish newspaper Dagens ETC, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” over his journalistic activities in Sweden was held at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court on 8 January 2026.

Medin's lawyer, Emine Özhasar, was present at the hearing.

The court decided to wait for the return of the letter rogatory written about Medin and to summon the digital materials reported to be in the file from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The trial was postponed until 7 May 2026.

Vedat Örüç's trial adjourned until March

The fourth hearing in the trial of journalist Vedat Örüçon charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” over his insurance records, conversations with colleagues, and telephone conversations, was held at the Mersin 6th High Criminal Court on 8 January 2026.

Örüç was present at the hearing.

In his defense, Örüç stated that seven people were arrested along with him in this case, that their files were separated, and that all of them were acquitted. Örüç requested that the ban on leaving the country be lifted and that he be acquitted.

The court ruled that the ban on leaving the country should continue and postponed the trial until 5 March 2026.

Perihan Kaya handed jail term in retrial

Journalist Perihan Kaya was sentenced to one year, six months, and twenty-two days in prison on 7 January 2026 on charges of “terrorism propaganda,” following the retrial of a case that dates back to 2021.

A former reporter for the Jin News Agency (JINHA) and a podcaster, Kaya was prosecuted over her past membership in the now-defunct Free Journalists Association (ÖGC), her social media posts, phone conversations with fellow journalists, and statements from anonymous witnesses. The indictment claimed that she was “responsible for the Press Sector of the KCK structure.” Turkish courts have previously described the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) as an armed urban structure linked to the PKK, an assessment frequently invoked since the mass proceedings known as the “KCK Press Trial” in 2011.

During the retrial, Kaya’s lawyer, Resul Temur, argued that the social media posts cited as evidence could not lawfully be used. Temur told the court that the account in question had been examined at a time when no investigation was underway against his client and noted that the “virtual patrol” regulation allowing such monitoring by the law enforcement had since been annulled by the Constitutional Court. On these grounds, he said, the evidence should not be taken into consideration.

Kaya was first tried on the same charges at a hearing on 24 March 2021, when she was sentenced to one year and three months in prison for “terrorism propaganda” and acquitted of the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization.” That ruling was later overturned by an appellate court, which cited the failure to apply provisions on consecutive sentencing and found the penalty insufficient, ordering a retrial.

At the latest hearing on 24 December 2025, which was monitored by P24, the prosecutor presented the final opinion in the case and sought a prison sentence. The court upheld the prosecution’s request and delivered its verdict on 7 January 2026, sentencing the journalist.

Click here to read more details from the hearing.

Trial of Pehlivan prosecuted upon complaint by Court of Cassation member postponed

The fourth hearing in the trial of journalist Barış Pehlivan on charges of “publicly insulting a public official” and “defamation.”

Pehlivan's lawyer, Enes Hikmet Ermaner, was present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Kocaman's lawyer did not attend the hearing, citing a reason.

Pehlivan's lawyer, Ermaner, requested that Ali İhsan Akdoğan and Burhan Tezcan, mentioned in the article that is the subject of the case, be heard as witnesses.

Due to a change in judges, the court decided to review the case file and evaluate the request to hear witnesses between hearings. The trial was postponed until 17 September 2026.

Click here to read the full article.

Case of Barış Pehlivan filed upon a complaint by Boğaziçi University rector adjourned until September

The fourth hearing in the case in which journalist Barış Pehlivan is charged with “publicly insulting a public official” following a complaint by Boğaziçi University Rector Naci İnci was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 6 January 2026.

Pehlivan's lawyer Enes Hikmet Ermaner and Naci İnci's lawyer Feyzanur Türksal Köse were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

The court decided to review the case due to the change of judge and to evaluate the request to hear witnesses between hearings. The trial was postponed until 17 September 2026.

Click here to read the full article.

At least 28 journalists and media workers behind bars in Turkey

As of 9 January 2026, there are now at least 28 journalists and media workers were in prison in Turkey, either awaiting trial or serving finalized sentences.

The full list can be accessed here.