Three journalists jailed; two journalists released pending trial; access blocked to numerous accounts, including Evrensel daily and Amnesty International Turkey; case filed against Şaban Vatan Naz, Canan Coşkun and Kazım Kızıl in connection with Rabia Naz murder case

Tuğba Tekerek jailed as part of "My Family is Safe" operations

Journalist Tuğba Tekerek was jailed pending trial on charges of “obscenity” as part of a crackdown on LGBTI+ organizations and activists.

The operations, dubbed “My Family Is Safe” by the authorities, involved overnight raids on LGBTI+ organizations across several provinces in the early hours of 13 September. More than 100 people were detained, including founders and members of LGBTI+ organizations and activists.

Tekerek was arrested at her home in Istanbul as part of the operations and taken to Ankara. On 15 September, she was jailed pending trial alongside six executive and supervisory board members of Kaos GL, Turkey’s largest LGBTI+ rights organization.

Tekerek and the others were charged with “violating the Law on Associations,” “committing offences of obscenity in places accessible to children” and “facilitating the publication of obscene materials.” Tekerek’s arrest and subsequent imprisonment were based on a single article she penned for Kaos GL’s website as part of her coverage of the 2024 Georgian elections.

Scores of social media accounts belonging to LGBTI+ organizations, activists, journalists and rights groups were also blocked by court orders during the operations. The affected accounts included those of Amnesty International’s Turkey branch and the Turkish freedom of expression group MLSA.

P24 joined seven other media and freedom of expression groups in issuing a joint statement calling for Tekerek’s release.

“Tekerek’s deprivation of liberty based on her journalistic activity is unacceptable in terms of press freedom and the public’s right to information,” the statement said. The signatories called for the immediate release of all those deprived of their liberty because of their journalistic activity and for the access blocks imposed on news websites and the social media accounts of journalists and civil society organizations to be lifted.

Click here to read the joint statement.

Access blocked to scores of accounts, including Evrensel daily and Amnesty International Turkey

Access to a large number of X and Instagram accounts, including those of the Evrensel newspaper, Amnesty International Turkey, Academics for Peace, journalists Fırat Fıstık and Özlem Akarsu Çelik, and the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), have been blocked.

Following the blocking of access to LGBTI+ associations, organizations and activists that began on 12 September, access to a further 32 X accounts – including those of numerous university LGBTI+ societies – were blocked on 13 September.

For a detailed analysis by Expression Interrupted of online restrictions imposed as part of "My Family is Safe" operations, click here. 

Journalist Selahattin Günday twice ordered jailed in reopened probe into former MİT officer’s 2011 death

Journalist Selahattin Günday was issued two separate pretrial imprisonment orders within three days in September 2026 as part of a reopened investigation into the 2011 death in prison of former National Intelligence Organization (MİT) officer Kaşif Kozinoğlu.

Kozinoğlu was arrested on 10 March 2011 in connection with the OdaTV case, a branch of the Ergenekon proceedings, on accusations of membership in an armed terrorist organization and obtaining and leaking classified state documents. The Ergenekon proceedings, which ran from 2008 to 2019, targeted hundreds of people—including senior military officers, opposition politicians, journalists and lawyers—over an alleged clandestine network accused of plotting to overthrow the government. In 2019, the defendants were acquitted of the terrorist organization-related charges after the court concluded that the existence of the alleged organization had not been established.

While held at Silivri Prison, Kozinoğlu fell ill on 12 November 2011 and died after being taken to hospital, 13 days before he was due to appear in court. His death was initially attributed to heart-related health problems, although allegations concerning possible poisoning, delayed medical intervention and negligence by prison authorities persisted. An investigation launched after his death was closed on 10 April 2012 with a decision not to prosecute.

On 26 August 2026, the Silivri Criminal Judgeship of Peace lifted the 2012 non-prosecution decision, allowing the investigation to be reopened. On 7 September, authorities announced that proceedings had been initiated against 11 people who had worked at the prison at the time of Kozinoğlu’s death and that 10 of them had been detained.

Günday was arrested on 10 September during a second wave of the investigation, alongside camera operator İdris Tiftikçi and seven healthcare workers. On 12 September, a court jailed Günday and two emergency medical technicians pending trial, while the remaining six suspects were released under judicial supervision. Günday was accused of “disclosing information and documents relating to intelligence activities” and “unlawfully obtaining or disseminating personal data.”

Although the reopened investigation concerns Kozinoğlu’s death in prison, the accusations against Günday relate to his reporting several months before the death. Prosecutors linked the charges to news coverage of Kozinoğlu’s arrival at the Beşiktaş Courthouse in Istanbul in March 2011. Günday denied filming the footage in question and said Kozinoğlu’s expected arrival had already been reported by the media. His lawyers also argued that the provision of the MİT Law cited in the detention order was amended to criminalize the disclosure of intelligence officers’ identities only in 2014—three years after the alleged act—and that the statutory limitation period had expired.

Günday’s lawyers challenged the first imprisonment order on 15 September. Hours later, before the objection had been examined, the prosecutor’s office sought a second imprisonment order, this time accusing him of “establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes.” The Silivri Criminal Judgeship of Peace granted the request the same day.

According to Günday’s lawyers, he was not questioned by either the prosecutor or the police about the new accusation. They said the imprisonment request did not identify the alleged organization, its members or hierarchical structure, Günday’s supposed role in it or the crimes it was allegedly established to commit. The lawyers described the ruling as a “backup imprisonment order” intended to keep Günday behind bars should the first order be overturned. They appealed the second order on 17 September. The objection to the first order was subsequently rejected without any additional reasoning.

Local journalist jailed over report on alleged overcharging at nature park

Hüseyin Aykan, owner and editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Bolu Gündem, was jailed pending trial on 11 September on the charge of violating the right to privacy over a report concerning alleged overcharging at Göksu Nature Park in Bolu.

Published on 17 August, the report alleged that a company operating a state-owned area in the park was charging visitors more than the official tariff. It included footage that had previously circulated on social media and purportedly showed the disputed charges. According to the newspaper, Aykan did not record the footage; it was filmed in a public place and submitted to the newspaper’s tip line by a member of the public.

The Turkish Journalists’ Association (TGC), of which Aykan is a member and its Bolu representative, called for his immediate release. The association said reporting allegations of irregularities at a business operating on public land was in the public interest and fell within the public’s right to information. It also argued that keeping Aykan in pretrial detention was disproportionate, noting that he had a fixed address and posed no risk of flight or tampering with evidence.

Journalists face up to 14 years in prison over investigation of Rabia Naz case 

Journalist Canan Coşkun and documentary filmmaker Kazım Kızıl face up to 14 years in prison over an interview they conducted while investigating the unresolved death of 11-year-old Rabia Naz Vatan. Rabia Naz’s father, Şaban Vatan, will stand trial alongside them.

Rabia Naz was found seriously injured outside her family’s home in Eynesil, Giresun, in April 2018 and later died in hospital. The circumstances of her death have remained disputed. Her family maintained that she may have been struck by a vehicle and that the incident was subsequently covered up, while the initial investigation focused on the possibility that she had fallen from a height. The investigation was closed without prosecution in 2020.

In 2025, Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that the investigation had not been conducted with the thoroughness and seriousness required under the right to life. It found that failures to collect and preserve evidence had prevented the circumstances of Rabia Naz’s death from being fully clarified. The court awarded compensation to the family but did not order the investigation to be reopened.

While investigating the case in Eynesil on 11 November 2019, Coşkun sought to interview Mürsel Küçükal, the last person known to have seen Rabia Naz lying injured. According to Coşkun, Küçükal took her to the scene and began describing what he had witnessed. Şaban Vatan and Kızıl, who were returning from Rabia Naz’s grave, saw Coşkun and Küçükal at the scene and joined them.

Küçükal later alleged that Vatan had forced him to reenact Rabia Naz’s movements by crawling on the ground and had mistreated him. The indictment alleged that Coşkun, Kızıl and Vatan jointly asked Küçükal to perform the reenactment and recorded him as he crawled. However, the case file also contains audio recordings indicating that Coşkun did not want Küçükal to crawl and attempted to stop the reenactment. Coşkun and Kızıl said they were disturbed by what was happening and left the scene.

Nearly seven years later, prosecutors charged all three with “depriving a person of their liberty through force or threat by multiple people acting jointly,” seeking prison sentences of up to 14 years. Kızıl additionally faces a charge of “attempting to influence a fair trial.” Coşkun said the footage and interviews seized during their investigation of Rabia Naz’s death were subsequently used to criminalize their journalistic work.

The Görele 1st Penal Court of First Instance accepted the indictment, and the first hearing is scheduled for 22 October 2026.

Journalists Saray Toprak and Sener Azak detained while covering protest

On 15 September, a group gathered outside the Istanbul Courthouse to protest against the “My Family is Safe” operations targeting LGBTI+ people. Police broke up and detained 106 people, including BirGün reporter Sarya Toprak and German ARD TV reporter Sener Azak, who were covering the story, as well as several lawyers.

Those detained were first taken to the Istanbul Police Headquarters on Vatan Street but were later divided into three groups and transferred to police stations in various parts of Istanbul.

The 106 people, who spent the night at police headquarters on Vatan Avenue, in Gayrettepe and Küçükçekmece, completed their questioning in the early hours of the morning. Their detention periods were extended by a further 24 hours that morning, and they were subsequently transferred to various hospitals in areas such as Bayrampaşa, Haydarpaşa and Ümraniye.

As well as being questioned about her “participation” in the protest, journalist Toprak was also questioned about two social media posts she made following the operations.

The 106 individuals, whose questioning were completed in the early hours of the morning (16 September), were released from the hospitals to which they had been taken following medical checks.

Three female journalists attacked in Şanlıurfa

On 17 September, three female journalists in Turkey’s southeastern district of Şanlıurfa were subjected to verbal and physical assault by a man while covering a news story.

In the incident, which took place in the Haliliye district, the journalists were first verbally harassed. The man then physically assaulted the journalists. During the attack, one of the journalists was injured. She reportedly obtained a medical certificate from hospital and filed a complaint against the assailant.

 

Journalists were forcibly removed from the Bursa Metropolitan Council

Prior to the first September session of the Bursa Metropolitan Council held on 10 September, AS TV’s reporter Oğuz Aksu and its cameraman were removed from the premises on the instructions of Chief of Staff Cihangir Erol Almaç.

During the council session, which was preceded by a dispute over committee appointments, a brief adjournment was called. Following this, in the corridor, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Şahin Biba and Chief of Staff Cihangir Erol Almaç were seen engaged in a heated conversation with a person accompanying them, which caught the attention of the press covering the council.

Immediately following this incident, Aksu and the cameraman were escorted out of the building on Almaç’s orders.

Neither the Metropolitan Municipality nor the management of AS TV has issued a statement regarding the matter.

Alican Uludağ’s trial adjourned until December 

The second hearing in the case against journalist Alican Uludağ, who is on trial on charges of “insulting the President,” “spreading false information” and “publicly disparaging judicial authorities” over his social media posts was held at the Ankara 57th Criminal Court of First Instance on 18 September 2027

Alican Uludağ and his lawyer, Abbas Yalçın, were present in the courtroom.

In addition to his defense, Uludağ requested that it be established whether the Center for Combating Disinformation had made any public statement regarding the tweet dated 23 September 2025, which was included in the indictment.

Stating that his mobile phone had been seized at the time of his arrest, Uludağ requested that it be returned to him.

Uludağ also requested that the president’s lawyers be asked which of the 13 separate posts listed in the petition they were complaining about.

Lawyer Yalçın, in addition to his client’s defense, reiterated their request for the phone to be returned to them, noting that there was no mention of the phone in the case file.

The presiding judge ruled to grant the defendant’s request and to determine whether any public statement had been made regarding the tweet dated 23 September 2025. 

The case was adjourned until 22 December 2027 for the prosecutor to announce their final opinion on the case.

ETHA reporter Elif Bayburt released at first hearing after seven months in prison

Etkin News Agency (ETHA) reporter Elif Bayburt was released pending trial at the first hearing of her case on 17 September, after spending more than seven months in pretrial detention the charge of “membership of an armed terrorist organization.”

Bayburt was arrested during an operation conducted across 22 provinces on 3 February 2026. She was jailed two days later alongside 46 other people. The indictment cited her attendance at public commemorations and press conferences, her contact with people investigated on terrorism-related accusations and her coverage of a court hearing as evidence against her. Her journalistic work at ETHA, telephone conversations and a magazine seized from her home were also included in the case file.

In her defense before the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court, Bayburt said she had attended the events and demonstrations listed in the indictment as a journalist covering social and political developments. These included commemorations for those killed in the 2015 Suruç bombing and a press conference organized by the Human Rights Association concerning high-security prisons. She also said a wiretapped conversation cited in the indictment concerned child workers killed in workplace accidents and denied attending an online meeting attributed to her.

Bayburt’s lawyer, Ahmet Baran Çelik, said all the witnesses cited in the indictment had confirmed that she was a journalist and argued that she was being prosecuted for her professional activities. Although the prosecutor requested that she remain in custody because the witnesses had not yet been heard, the court ordered her release. The trial was adjourned until 10 December 2026.

P24 monitored the court session. Click here to read our full report from the hearing.

ETHA reporter Pınar Gayıp released with a travel ban

Etkin News Agency (ETHA) reporter Pınar Gayıp was released pending trial under a travel ban at the first hearing of her case on 14 September. Gayıp had spent more than seven months in pretrial detention on the charge of “membership of an armed terrorist organization.” The trial was adjourned until 7 December 2026.

Gayıp was arrested during an operation conducted across 22 provinces on 3 February 2026 and imprisoned two days later alongside 46 other people. The indictment alleged that she had links to the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), citing her work at ETHA, her attendance at demonstrations, commemorations and a funeral, as well as communication records, money transfers and digital materials. It also included statements from 10 witnesses, most of whom identified Gayıp as an ETHA journalist.

In her defense before the Istanbul 23rd High Criminal Court, Gayıp said she was being prosecuted for refusing to remain silent and that the activities cited against her were part of her journalistic work. These included photographing a public commemoration and attending the funeral of Saturday Mother Emine Ocak. Gayıp noted that photographs in the case file showed her carrying a camera and that working for ETHA, possessing an ETHA press card and sharing the agency’s reports could not constitute criminal evidence.

Witnesses heard at the hearing also confirmed Gayıp’s work as a journalist. One said he had seen her taking photographs at a commemoration, while another said he did not know her and denied that a statement attributed to him in the case file was his. Although the prosecutor requested the continuation of Gayıp’s imprisonment, the court ordered her release with a travel ban.

P24 monitored the hearing. Click here to read our full report.

Court rules to keep Nadiye Gürbüz in prison

The first hearing in the case against journalist Nadiye Gürbüz, who has been in pre-trial detention for approximately seven months, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held at the 25th Istanbul High Criminal Court on 15 September 2026.

At the hearing, which was monitored by P24, the Gürbüz and her lawyers were present. Journalists and Gürbüz’s relatives also attended the hearing.

Beginning her defense by stating that she had been a journalist for 29 years, Gürbüz said, “I am a socialist journalist and I was arrested for this. The prosecution’s indictment clearly states that I was arrested because of the news articles I published in Atılım newspaper and ETHA (Etkin News Agency),” and continued as follows: 

“There are nine statements from informants in the indictment. All of the informants have stated that I am a journalist. Anyone who looks at social media can see this information. Time has been wasted getting nine people to say what everyone already knows. Through their statements, the witnesses have declared the Atılım newspaper and ETHA to be illegal, and their staff to be members of an illegal organization. Neither the Atılım newspaper nor ETHA is affiliated with any illegal organization or party. They do not take instructions from anyone whilst carrying out their publishing activities. I have never witnessed anything of the sort during any period of my employment.”

Following Gürbüz’s defense, journalist Pınar Gayıp, listed as a witness in the case file, was called to the hearing. Gayıp was asked about the money sent by Gürbüz as recorded in the MASAK report. Gayıp replied, “I must have been unable to pay my rent or a bill; Nadiye supported me. There is no other explanation.”

Gürbüz’s flatmate was also called as a witness and questioned about the money transfers mentioned in the MASAK report. The witness explained the transfers on the grounds that they shared the same flat with Gürbüz and therefore had joint payments.

O.D., one of the case’s confidential witnesses, began giving evidence via the judicial videoconferencing system (SEGBİS). Stating that they had never met Gürbüz in person, the witness said the following:

“I know the individual from her interviews on the website and from what members of the organization have mentioned. I know she works for ETHA and am aware of its press and publishing activities. ETHA is also the MLKP’s press and publishing organ. I know no further details.”

Speaking after the witnesses, Meral Hanbayat, one of Gürbüz’s lawyers, stated that a duplicate investigation and case had been opened against Gürbüz on the same allegations, that an acquittal had been handed down in the case, and that this decision had been upheld.

Following the defense statements, the prosecutor, in presenting their final opinion on the case, requested that the defendant’s detention be continued, citing reasons such as the nature and characteristics of the offense, the current state of evidence, and the fact that judicial supervision measures would be insufficient at this stage.

After a brief recess, the court panel announced its decision, ruling that Gürbüz’s detention should continue on the grounds that the witnesses had not yet been heard.

The case was adjourned until 8 December 2026.

Click here to read the details of the article.

Witnesses to be heard in the trial of Barış Pehlivan

The hearing in the case in which journalist Barış Pehlivan is on trial on charges of “defamation” and “insult” following a complaint by Court of Cassation member Yüksel Kocaman was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 17 September 2026.

Pehlivan’s lawyer, Özge Naz Akkaya, was present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. Pehlivan himself did not attend the hearing.

Lawyer Akkaya reiterated the request for the two witnesses, Ali İhsan Akdoğan and Burhan Tezcan, to be heard as previously stated at the hearing on 4 February.

The court accepted the request to hear the witnesses and adjourned the case until 26 January 2027.

Click here to read the details of the article.

Trial of five journalists adjourned

The fourth hearing in the case brought against journalists Tuğçe Yılmaz, Erdoğan Alayumat, Suzan Demir, Taylan Abatan and Gülcan Dereli, along with translator Serap Güneş and sociologist Berfin Atlı, on charges of “knowingly and willingly aiding a criminal organization without being part of its hierarchical structure” over articles published in Yeni Özgür Politika and PolitikArt and the royalties they received, was held at the 13th Istanbul High Criminal Court on 17 September 2026.

Journalist Erdoğan Alayumat and the defendants’ lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24.

The prosecutor, reiterating their final opinion on the case announced on 2 January 2026, sought conviction for the impugned crime.

The court ruled that the travel ban should remain in place for Tuğçe Yılmaz, Erdoğan Alayumat, Suzan Demir, Serap Güneş and Berfin Atlı. Ruling that the court must await the completion of the expert examination of the digital materials seized from the defendants, the court adjourned the case until 8 December 2026.

Click here to read the details of the article.

Case filed against Barış Pehlivan upon a complaint by Mehmet Naci İnci, Rector of Boğaziçi University adjourned

The hearing to be held on 17 September in the case against journalist Barış Pehlivan, who is charged with “insulting a public official” following a complaint by Mehmet Naci İnci, Rector of Boğaziçi University, could not be held as the judge was on sick leave. 

 

The case was adjourned to a later date.

 

Trial of Can Uğur on charges of “spreading false information” adjourned

 

The 2nd hearing to be held on 17 September in the case against journalist Can Uğur, who is charged with “spreading false information,” could not be held as the judge was on sick leave.

 

The trial was adjourned to a later date.

Court refuses to acquit journalist in "terrorism propaganda" case despite ECtHR ruling

A Turkish court dropped the case against freelance journalist Burcu Özkaya Günaydın on procedural grounds, despite a European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling that her freedom of expression had been violated. The Hatay 2nd High Criminal Court declined to acquit the journalist, ruling instead that the five-year supervision period imposed under a deferred judgment had expired.

The proceedings began after Özkaya Günaydın was arrested in October 2019 over social media posts she shared while reporting from the Syrian border during Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring. She was charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organization.” The charge that led to the judgment against her was based on a video of clashes in Syria that she had retweeted without adding any commentary.

Under the deferred judgment issued in the original proceedings, the court withheld the formal pronouncement of the verdict and placed Özkaya Günaydın under supervision for five years. On 14 October 2025, the ECtHR ruled in Parlas and Others v. Turkey that the judgment constituted an unjustified interference with her freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, leading to the reopening of her case.

Özkaya Günaydın told the court that she had shared the video solely because of its news value while working as a journalist in the border region. Her lawyer argued that the post did not praise, legitimize or encourage violence—the elements required for a propaganda charge—and requested her acquittal.

The court nevertheless dropped the case because the five-year supervision period had elapsed rather than ruling on whether the charged conduct constituted a crime. The decision remains open to appeal.

Retrial of Erol Önderoğlu, Şebnem Korur Fincancı and Ahmet Nesin adjourned

The 17th hearing in the retrial of Erol Önderoğlu, former representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey; Prof. Dr Şebnem Korur Fincancı; and journalist and writer Ahmet Nesin – whose acquittals in the Özgür Gündem solidarity case had been overturned by the Court of Cassation – was held at the 13th Istanbul High Criminal Court on 15 September 2026.

Önderoğlu and his lawyer were present at the hearing, which P24 monitored.

The court decided to await the response to the letter of request sent abroad to obtain Ahmet Nesin’s defense statement. 

The case was adjourned until 24 December 2026.

Click here to read the details of the article.

At least 21 journalists and media workers in prison

Following the imprisonment of three journalists and release of two others, as of 18 September 2026, there are at least 21 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either imprisoned pending trial or serving a sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.