Two journalists jailed; two journalists jailed, two others placed under house arrest as part of funding investigation; access to at least 137 accounts, including that of the Freedom of Expression Association blocked; cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan given jail term

Two journalists jailed, two others placed under house arrest as part of funding investigation

An investigation has been launched against journalists Murat Ağırel, İsmail Saymaz, Şaban Sevinç and Mustafa Balcı on charges of “spreading false information” as part of a funding investigation.

Şaban Sevinç and Mustafa Balcı, who were initially summoned for questioning, were subsequently placed under arrest. Journalist Mustafa Balcı announced on social media that he had been taken into custody on 8 October. Both journalists were brought before a judgeship on 9 October with a request for their imprisonment. The journalists were imprisoned pending trial by the judgeship and sent to prison.

The journalists had alleged that the names of AKP ministers Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Ömer Bolat, along with their relatives, had been mentioned in connection with the fund crisis. Balcı had posted a claim stating that AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik had attended a concert by the Limak Philharmonic Orchestra in Bodrum on 22 August, and that sitting one row behind him was Osman Arıkan Nacar – who is alleged to have fled abroad with TL 20 billion. 

Saymaz and Ağırel were taken into custody on 9 October and released on judicial supervision following their statements. However, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office lodged an appeal against the judicial supervision order, which required them to “sign in on regular basis.” The 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace, having considered the appeal, ruled that Saymaz and Ağırel should be subject to house arrest as a judicial supervision measure.

Journalist Derya Okatan jailed

Derya Okatan, a journalist and member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Basın-İş Trade Union—affiliated with the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DİSK)—was imprisoned pending trial in Istanbul on 2 October.

Okatan was taken into custody from her home in Ankara on 2 October and brought to Istanbul. Teams conducting a search of her home seized digital materials. According to the interrogation record of the Istanbul 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace, which took Okatan’s statement, an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command identified 20 PowerPoint presentations, 214 Word documents, 49 Excel documents and 10 PDF files in a folder on the hard drive.

In its ruling, the court assessed that the documents included “classified documents relating to the provinces of Çorum and Tokat, which should only be in the possession of the security forces.”

However, Okatan and her lawyer stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the journalist had obtained these documents, saved them to the hard drive or was even aware of their existence.

Okatan did not admit to the charge during the court hearing.

Stating that she had been working as a journalist for approximately 20 years, Okatan explained that the hard drive in question had previously been seized as part of another investigation.

In her defense, Okatan stated that she had been using the hard drive as a film archive and emphasized that she had no connection whatsoever to the documents.

Okatan also noted that she had been detained in 2019 in connection with her journalistic activities and that her computers and hard drives had been seized at the same time.

Okatan noted that no questions had been asked about the documents in question at that time and argued that the fact that these documents had emerged from the same digital material years later should be investigated.

Okatan was sent to pre-trial detention on the same day and sent to Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison.

News website owner jailed over report in Burdur

Hasan Güraksu, the owner of a news website in Burdur, was imprisoned pending trial over a news article on 6 October.

An investigation had been launched against Güraksu over the article titled “Is spoiled meat being fed to patients in state hospitals?”, which was published on his news website. As part of the investigation, an arrest warrant had been issued for Güraksu.

Following the legal procedures, Güraksu was taken to Burdur Courthouse, where he was sent to pre-trial detention by the court on charges of “spreading false information.”

Speaking to members of the press who were filming him as he left the courthouse, Güraksu said, “I have been arrested over the allegation of rotten meat at the hospital. I have faith in justice.” Güraksu was subsequently sent to prison.

Access blocked to at least 137 accounts, including one belonging to Freedom of Expression Association

As part of operations launched under the name “My Family is Safe,” access to at least 88 accounts on the X platform was blocked on the night of 4 October.

Among the accounts blocked was the X account of the Freedom of Expression Association (@ifadeorgtr). The association’s account was blocked on the grounds of “the protection of national security and public order” and was made invisible to users in Turkey by X.

Among the accounts blocked were those of former Association of Judges and Prosecutors (YARSAV) President and retired judge Ömer Faruk Eminağaoğlu, software developer Fatih Kadir Akın, clinical psychologist Kıvılcım Kıran, journalists Hamdi Çelikbaş and Yiğit Uzun, the Women’s Party, and the artist Onur Bolat, known as “Hikmeti Tabiyeci.”

Furthermore, access to the account of Alex Crawford @AlexCrawfordSky, reporter for Sky News, has been blocked. 

Meanwhile, on 7 October, access to the X accounts of more journalists—including İrfan Değirmenci, Şirin Payzın and BirGün reporter Sarya Toprak—were blocked. Some of the accounts subject to the blocking order were made invisible from Turkey by X.

The journalists whose X accounts have been blocked are as follows: İrfan Değirmenci, Şirin Payzın, Burak Acerakis, Erdal Sağlam, Dinçer Gökçe, Sarya Toprak, Esra Tokat and Furkan Karabay.

In addition to the journalists, the X account of bianet – Independent Communication Network – has also been blocked on the grounds of “protecting national security and public order,” pursuant to the decision of the Bakırköy 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated 30 September 2026 and numbered 2026/9064.

On 8 October, access from Turkey was blocked to at least 39 X accounts, including those of journalist Dilek Zaptçıoğlu, economic commentator Ayhan Dadaloğlu and lawyer Lale Demirkazan. The accounts have a combined total of approximately 465,000 followers.

Indictment drawn up against imprisoned journalist Ali Tarakcı

An indictment has been drawn up against journalist Ali Tarakcı, who was arrested over a post stating that “a minister will resign on Friday.”

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested that Tarakcı be prosecuted on charges of “disseminating misleading information” over the post in question.

It was reported that, as part of the investigation launched following Tarakcı’s post, information was requested from the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB).

Tarakcı has been behidn bars since 25 September.

Investigation launched against journalists Mehmet Ali Güller and Batuhan Serim

An investigation has been launched against Cumhuriyet newspaper columnist Mehmet Ali Güller and reporter Batuhan Serim over news articles and social media posts.

Güller and Serim gave statements at the Şişli District Police Headquarters on 5 October.

Güller was questioned about sharing statements from a piece written by retired soldier Orkun Özeller on his X account on 29 June. Güller denied the allegations, stating that he had reproduced the statements in question without adding any commentary and by citing the source.

Serim, meanwhile, was questioned about a news report concerning correspondence from the investigation file of the detained Cem Küçük, which included the allegation that former Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu had held meetings to become a trustee at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). Serim stated that the correspondence mentioned in the report had been included in the investigation file and that the allegation in question was not his own. Serim said, “I did not defame anyone. I do not accept the charges.”

An investigation has been launched against Rabia Önver

An investigation has been launched against JinNews reporter Rabia Önver on suspicion of “terrorism propaganda” over her social media posts.

As part of the investigation, Önver, accompanied by her lawyer, went to the Counter-Terrorism (TEM) Branch of the Yüksekova District Police Headquarters, where she gave a statement.

Rabia Önver was questioned about posts she made regarding a condolence gathering held in Yüksekova in August. The questions put to Önver also included why she had made the posts and whether she had received “instructions” from anyone.

In her response to the questions, Rabia Önver stated that the posts in question had been made as part of her journalistic activities.

Once the questioning had been completed, Rabia Önver left the police station accompanied by her lawyer.

TELE2 Haber YouTube channel closed

The TELE2 Haber YouTube channel, set up by staff of TELE1 TV – which had a trustee appointed on the day Merdan Yanardağ was taken into custody – has closed.

The following statement was issued regarding the decision to close the channel, which was established in November 2025: “We are ending our broadcasts on Friday, 2 October 2026. We established Tele2 Haber to keep Tele1 TV’s journalistic ethos alive and to demonstrate that we have not surrendered; whilst the channel continued to operate despite all adverse conditions thanks to the sacrifices of the Tele2 team, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) ruled that our channel was required to obtain two licenses.

“Although we made every effort to meet this requirement for dual licensing – a first for a YouTube channel – we were unable to secure the funds to cover the licence fees, which totaled over TL 2 million. As we have reached the end of the period granted to us by law and are unable to pay the required licence fees, we have decided to cease our broadcasts under the name Tele2haber.”

No charges to be brought against those who targeted journalist Sema Bingöl

A decision not to prosecute has been issued regarding the criminal complaint filed by Sema Bingöl, a reporter for the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), who was beaten and detained whilst covering a memorial service for Ethem Sarısülük in Ankara and subsequently released, after she was targeted by the pro-government media outlets Akit, Ensonhaber and Diriliş Postası.

A criminal complaint had been lodged with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on 1 August regarding news reports and social media posts targeting Bingöl and her family members. As part of the investigation conducted by the prosecutor’s office, it was argued that the reports in question should be assessed within the framework of press freedom and the right to report news. The prosecutor’s office decided that there were no grounds for prosecution on the grounds that the legal elements of the impugned crime had not been established.

Bingöl’s lawyers have stated that they will lodge an appeal against the prosecutor’s decision with the Ankara Criminal Judgeship of Peace on Duty.

İsmail Arı’s trial adjourned until December

The second hearing in the trial of İsmail Arı, a reporter for the BirGün newspaper, on charges of “disseminating misleading information” and “violating the confidentiality of an investigation” over a news report he had written, was held in Ankara on 9 October 2026. 

In addition to Arı, his lawyers Kerem Altıparmak and Taylan Arı were also present in the courtroom.

As the judge was on leave, the case was heard by a duty judge. Lawyer Altıparmak noted that interim order No. 8, requested at the first hearing, had not been complied with.

The court ruled to await the document requested in the interim order and to exempt İsmail Arı, whose defence had been heard at the previous hearing, from attending further hearings, and adjourned the case until 25 December 2026.

The case file in Sedef Kabaş’s trial referred to appellate court

The 11th hearing in the trial of journalist Sedef Kabaş, who faces charges of “insulting the president” over a total of 25 social media posts, was held at the Anadolu 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 8 October 2026.

Whilst Kabaş did not attend the hearing, her lawyer, Selen Sınmaz, was present in the courtroom.

At the previous hearing, the court, having assessed that Article 43/1 of the Turkish Penal Code could be applied in the event that the act attributed to Kabaş was proven, decided to recommend that the case be merged with another case before the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance. However, the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance did not accept the proposal to merge the cases.

The hearing lasted five minutes. The judge referred the case to the appellate court due to the disagreement regarding the merger of the cases.

Cartoonist Doğan Pehlevan given prison term

The fifth hearing in the case against Doğan Pehlevan, a cartoonist for LeMan magazine, who faces a charge of “insulting the president” over posts made from a social media account allegedly belonging to him, was held at the 36th Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance on 7 October 2026.

Pehlevan’s lawyers were present at the hearing, which was monitored by P24. The lawyer representing the plaintiff, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, did not attend the hearing.

The prosecutor, reiterating their final opinion on the case presented at the previous hearing, argued that the offense had been proven and requested that Pehlevan be punished for the offense of “insulting the president.”

Taking the floor, Pehlevan’s lawyer stated that the source investigation report in the indictment was irregular and could not be accepted as evidence. The lawyer stated that the X account from which the post in question was made did not belong to Pehlevan and that this had not been proven. Furthermore, noting that even if the post were assumed to belong to his client, it did not contain any insult, he requested his client’s acquittal in accordance with the principle that “the benefit of the doubt goes to the defendant.”

Samet Fidan, another of Pehlevan’s lawyers, recalled the current state of evidence in the case, stating: “It has not been confirmed whether the account belongs to our client. It is not possible to impose a sentence based on irregular evidence.” Fidan requested his client’s acquittal.

The court sentenced Pehlevan to 11 months and 20 days in prison on the grounds that the elements of the impugned crime had been established, and deferred the sentence.

Öznur Değer and Osman Akın given jail term

The third hearing in the case brought against Öznur Değer, News Director at JinNews, and Osman Akın, former Editor-in-Chief of the Yeni Yaşam newspaper, on charges of “disclosing the names of individuals who were assigned with the fight against terrorism” was held at the Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court on 6 October 2026.

Whilst Değer and Akın did not attend the hearing, their lawyers were present.

Reiterating their final opinion on the case, the prosecutor demanded that both journalists be punished.

Öznur Değer’s lawyer, Erdal Kuzu, in his defense against the prosecution’s final opinion, argued: “In a state that has pursued a zero-tolerance policy towards torture for the past five years, my client being prosecuted for reporting on torture demonstrates a breach of the rule of law. This individual carried out a raid on a village whilst serving as the Nusaybin District Gendarmerie Commander. A decision of non-prosecution was issued regarding this individual. My client had submitted the relevant documents to this court. She is a professional journalist. She has reported allegations of torture. In doing so, she did not go to any special lengths to obtain this individual’s information; she obtained it from a website. At the previous hearing, a letter was written to the Milliyet newspaper, and in the reply to that letter, it was stated that the individual’s personal details had been used in the news reports. My client acted with journalistic intent. We request that the court acquit the client of the charge for which the elements of the offense have not been established.”

Following the lawyers’ defense submissions, the court panel announced its verdict, sentencing Osman Akın to 10 months in prison, and Öznur Değer to 1 year and 6 months in prison for the impugned crime.

Meanwhile, whilst the court panel issued a decision to defer the sentence (HAGB) in respect of Osman Akın, HAGB was not applied to Öznur Değer.

Meanwhile, whilst the court panel ruled to suspend the pronouncement of Osman Akın’s sentence, Öznur Değer was not granted a suspended sentence.

Abdullah Kaya’s trial adjourned

The 34th hearing in the trial of journalist Abdullah Kaya, who is on trial on charges of “terrorism propaganda”was held at the Ağrı 2nd High Criminal Court on 6 October 2026.

The hearing began with identity verification; whilst the lawyers did not attend, citing valid reasons, Kaya participated via the judicial videoconferencing system (SEGBIS) from the district of Diyadin, where he resided.

Stating that journalistic activities are not a crime, Kaya requested an acquittal. Kaya said, “I am a journalist; journalism is not a crime. Journalism constitutes one of the greatest pillars of democracy. Our duty is to inform the public.”

The court adjourned the case until 17 December 2026.

At least 26 journalists and media workers in prison

Following the imprisonment of four journalists and release of Hüseyin Aykan, as of 9 October 2026, there are at least 26 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either imprisoned pending trial or serving a sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.