Two journalists imprisoned; two journalists released; İsmail Saymaz’s house arrest lifted; Fırat Fıstık sentenced to prison

Journalists Ahmet Erkan Yiğitsözlü and Tuba Demir imprisoned pending trial

As part of the KHK TV investigation being conducted by the Osmaniye Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, journalists Ahmet Erkan Yiğitsözlü and Tuba Demir, along with accountant Servet Topuz, were imprisoned pending trial on 12 November. The subject of the investigation was recorded in the arrest report as “violation of the Law on the Financing of Terrorism.”

The police stated that, based on bank transactions and digital forensic records, it was assessed that Yiğitsözlü, together with individuals including KHK Platforms Spokesperson Münir Korkmaz, Demir and Topuz, had carried out activities involving “fundraising, providing funds and using funds on behalf of a terrorist organization.” Yiğitsözlü denied the charges, stating, “The money transfers identified are matters that occur in the normal course of life.”

Yiğitsözlü’s lawyer, Günal Kurşun, argued that his client could be summoned to give evidence in the investigation, which has been ongoing since 2024, and stated that the grounds for the 24-hour restriction on lawyer visits had not been explained to him. Kurşun objected to the charge, pointing out that figures such as Bülent Arınç, Hüseyin Çelik, Ertuğrul Günay and Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu had also appeared on KHK TV’s programs.

Yiğitsözlü, who took on the role of editor at KHK TV after being dismissed from his post at the state-run Anadolu Agency under a Decree-Law, was detained in Ankara on 9 November. Yiğitsözlü was taken to Osmaniye alongside Münir Korkmaz, the spokesperson for the KHK Platforms, who had been detained at his home in Adana on the same day.

Ali Tarakcı released pending trial

Journalist Ali Tarakcı was released on 11 November 2026 following 46 days in pre-trial detention.

Tarakcı had been imprisoned pending trial on charges of “disseminating misleading information” over his social media post following an investigation launched by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

He made the post in question on his X account on 23 September 2026, stating, “A very important minister will resign on Friday.” The indictment stated that the post in question had been viewed approximately 5.2 million times and was assessed to have had a negative impact on the foreign exchange market.

Jailed journalist Tuğba Tekerek to appear in court in December

Following an investigation into Kaos GL association as part of the “My Family is Safe” operations, an indictment was drawn up against 17 individuals. Journalist Tuğba Tekerek was also listed among the suspects on the grounds that she was the “administrator of Kaos GL’s Instagram account.” Tekerek has been detained at Ankara Sincan Prison since 15 September 2026.

In the indictment drawn up on 28 October 2026 by the Cybercrime Bureau of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was alleged that content published on the association’s website and social media accounts was “accessible to children” and “constituted the offense of obscenity.”

The prosecution alleged that the suspects had committed offenses under Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code, which governs the offense of “obscenity” and under Article 30/b of the Associations Act, which prohibits the establishment of associations “for the purpose of carrying out acts constituting offenses or for purposes explicitly prohibited by the Constitution and laws.” The prosecution requested that penalties be imposed on the suspects in accordance with paragraph 32/p of the same Act.

The indictment alleged, based on findings by the Cybercrime Department, that Tekerek was the “administrator of the Kaos GL Instagram account.”

In her statement, however, Tekerek said she had no connection to or membership of Kaos GL. Tekerek, who stated that she was familiar with the association because she is a journalist, said that she was unaware of the Instagram account and was not its administrator.

Explaining that she has been working as a journalist for national and international media organizations since 2006, Tekerek said that she currently produces news reports for Açık Radyo, Deutsche Welle Türkçe and T24.

Tekerek explained that her connection with Kaos GL consisted solely of a single news report published as part of her journalistic activities. Stating that she had traveled to Georgia as part of an international group of journalists to cover the 2024 elections, Tekerek said she had met with a representative of a civil society organization working in the field of LGBTI+ rights and had sent the news report based on that meeting to Kaos GL.

The first hearing will be held at the Ankara 27th Criminal Court of First Instance on 24 December 2026.

Gökmen Karadağ and Hilmi Hacaloğlu to be tried for “defamation” and “insult”

Journalists Gökmen Karadağ and Hilmi Hacaloğlu, along with Prof. Dr Hasan Sınar, will stand trial on 24 November 2026 on charges of “insult” and “defamation” following a complaint by E. Turanlı, an official at Taş Yapı İnşaat.

The journalists and Prof. Sınar are to appear before the court in connection with a Halk TV broadcast which also touched upon the detention of Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan.

İsmail Saymaz’s house arrest lifted

The house arrest imposed on journalist İsmail Saymaz on suspicion of “disseminating misleading information” as part of a funding investigation was lifted on 10 November 2026, 31 days later. 

Saymaz stated, “The Istanbul 65th Criminal Court of First Instance has lifted my house arrest and set the trial date for 7 April 2027. I believe we will be acquitted on that day.”

In the indictment filed by the Press Offenses Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the statements made by Ağırel and Saymaz on the “Gazeteci Masası” program, broadcast on Sözcü TV on 7 October, were cited as the basis for the charges.

The prosecution had argued that the journalists’ statements linking Trade Minister Ömer Bolat to the fund scandal were not supported by concrete information or documents. The indictment also classified the disclosure of Bolat’s investment details as an unlawful disclosure of personal data.

The prosecution had sought criminal penalties against Ağırel and Saymaz, who denied the charges in their statements.

İdris Yılmaz gives statement regarding his news report

Journalist İdris Yılmaz gave a statement at the Erciş Police Headquarters on 9 November regarding a post he made on his Instagram account on 6 November 2026. Yılmaz’s post concerned the appointment of an inspector to investigate allegations of irregularities at the Erciş Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation (SYDV) and the ongoing nature of the investigation.

As part of the investigation, six people, including the foundation’s director Sefa Kaya, were taken into custody. The investigation is looking into allegations of bid-rigging, bribery and embezzlement. Among the matters under scrutiny are aid provided to those in need, as well as procurement and payment procedures relating to the purchase of coal and fuel. According to information provided by Yılmaz, those taken into custody are still being held at the police station. No detailed official statement has yet been issued regarding the investigation.

Yılmaz, who has been working as a journalist in the local and national press for approximately 20 years, confirmed in his statement that the report was his own. He stated that, as a matter of journalistic ethics, he was not obliged to reveal his source. Yılmaz explained that he only became aware of the matter after it had been referred to the public prosecutor’s office. He said that no confidentiality order had been communicated either to him or to the organizations he worked for.

“I fulfilled my duty to inform the public within the scope of the rights granted to me by the Law on Freedom of the Press and Expression. I have no regrets regarding this matter,” said Yılmaz, who denied all charges against him.

Manifest’s manager Tolga Akış released pending trial

The first hearing in the trial of Tolga Akış, manager of the band Manifest, who is facing charges of “obscenity,” was held at the 43rd Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance on 12 November 2026.

In his defense during the hearing, Akış stated that he had been in custody for 77 days and, noting that the offense of obscenity was not clearly defined in the indictment, and said the following: “The role of producers is to find suitable partners to carry out a general project. We do not plan every moment of a concert in advance. There were no actions constituting a criminal offense at the concert held at Küçükçiftlik on 6 September 2025. There was no one under the age of 18 at the venue. The reason we advertised the concert as ‘18+’ was because the venue had an 18-year-old age restriction; it was not related to the theme of the concert. The description section of the platform where we sold tickets included a clause stating that no footage was to be taken or shared at the concert.”

Akış stated that the footage shared on social media following the concert in question had been shared by third parties, and that they had not disseminated it themselves.

The prosecutor requested that the defendant be released on the grounds of the nature and characteristics of the offense with which he was charged, the minimum and maximum penalties prescribed, and the fact that his defense had been heard. The prosecutor also requested that the case file be sent to the public prosecutor’s office for the preparation of the final opinion on the case. 

The court ordered Akış’s release and adjourned the case until 18 March 2027.

Tolga Akış, the manager of Manifest, was taken into custody on 27 August as part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on allegations of “obscenity,” “drug use” and “laundering of proceeds of crime,” and was imprisoned pending trial by the Istanbul 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace.

Aydın Denge reporter İrem Delice handed jail term and released

The first hearing in the trial of Aydın Denge newspaper’s imprisoned reporter İrem Delice, the newspaper’s representative Emin Aydın and editorial manager Yeşim Ülker on charges of “disseminating misleading information” was held at the Aydın 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 12 November 2026.

The defendants were present in the courtroom.

Following the defense statements, the court announced its verdict, sentencing Delice to 1 year in prison, and deferred the sentence. Emin Aydın and Yeşim Ülker were acquitted.

Trial of 19 journalists in Diyarbakır adjourned until February

The 13th hearing in the trial of 19 journalists, who were imprisoned pending trial on 16 June 2022 as part of an investigation led by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “terrorism propaganda” was held at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court on 10 November 2026.

At the hearing, which was monitored by P24, some of the journalists on trial, Ömer Çelik and Elif Üngür, were present along with their lawyers Resul Temur, Gurbet Gözde Engin and Serdar Çelebi. The Dicle Fırat Journalists’ Association (DFG) also monitored the hearing as an observer.

The court rejected the defense’s request to lift the international travel ban and referred the case to the public prosecutor’s office for the preparation of the final opinion on the case. 

The trial was adjourned until 16 February 2027.

Click here to read the details of the article.

Prison sentence for Fırat Fıstık

The final hearing in the case against journalist Fırat Fıstık, filed upon a complaint by the Ministry of National Defense on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information”was held at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 12 November 2026.

Journalist Fıstık and his lawyer did not attend the hearing, having submitted a notice of absence, whilst the Ministry’s lawyer was present.

The Ministry’s lawyer and the prosecutor at the hearing requested that the defense counsel’s request for a postponement be rejected. The judge ruled to reject the request for leave of absence on the grounds that “although the defendant’s counsel had been provided with sufficient time and opportunity to prepare their defense against the prosecutor’s final opinion on the case, a further request for leave of absence had been submitted, and the reason given did not constitute a valid and compelling ground justifying the adjournment of the hearing,” and proceeded with the hearing.

Presenting their final opinion on the case, the prosecutor sought the conviction of the journalist Fıstık for the impugned crime.

In announcing the verdict, the judge first sentenced Fıstık to 1 year in prison for the impugned crime. On the grounds that the offense was committed through the press and media, the sentence was increased by half under Article 218/1 of the TCK, bringing it to 1 year and 6 months.

Subsequently, following a one-sixth reduction in accordance with Article 62 of the Turkish Penal Code, the sentence was set at 1 year and 3 months. The judge also ruled that the sentence should be deferred.

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At least 27 journalists and media workers in prison

As of 13 November 2026, there are at least 27 journalists and media workers in prison in Turkey, either imprisoned pending trial or serving a sentence.

The full list can be accessed here.