Journalists and academics bear the brunt of the massive crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey. Scores of them are currently subject to criminal investigations or behind bars. This website is dedicated to tracking the legal process against them.
Two of the journalists who were detained as part of Turkey’s post-coup attempt investigation delivered initial testimony at the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office on August 2.
Both journalists were referred to court with prosecutors demanding their arrest. Fox TV News Editor Ercan Gün, was let go on probation by the court, only to be detained again in less than a few hours as part of an investigation into the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The business editor of the defunct Zaman daily, İbrahim Balta, was put under arrest.
Also on Tuesday, State-run Anadolu News Agency (AA) released a wrap-up of the detentions and arrests of the past few days, reporting that 49 out of the 89 journalists for whom detention arrests have been issued are still wanted. Police has established that 11 of those journalists have left Turkey. The agency’s report offered a summary of two detention warrant lists targeting mainly Zaman journalists; the number of journalists who are wanted – or were wanted at some point – in the investigation is at least 108.
In another development, P24’s Legal Unit announced plans to file an objection against the arrest ruling for Şahin Alpay, a former Zaman columnist, arrested on July 30. P24’s Legal Unit has assumed the role of legal counsel for Alpay.
Representatives of P24’s Legal Unit and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), who have been visiting journalists detained under suspicion of involvement in the coup at the Police Department, have said that a majority of the journalists in detention are having a tough time finding a lawyer. Concerns about the health of the journalists have also been expressed by various observers.
Posts stating that two former Zaman journalists, Emre Soncan and Haşim Söylemez, who were both arrested in the probe, have serious conditions that call for continual medical attention.
State of Emergency detentions and arrests outside the coup probe
Two Kurdish journalists were arrested and a newspaper delivery man was detained on Aug. 2.
Reports said that Hülya Karakaya, the Managing Editor of the Özgür Halk magazine, was detained earlier in the day at Diyarbakır Airport, and was later arrested on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” at Diyarbakır Police Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau.
Dicle News Agency (DİHA) reported later in the day that one of its reporters, Mehmet Arslan, was also arrested on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.
Nizamettin Yılmaz, who delivers the newspapers Azadiya Welat and Özgür Gündem in Mardin province, was taken into custody on charges of “distributing illegal newspapers.” Police also raided and searched Yılmaz’s home, IMCTV reported.
Last known legal status of journalists for whom detention warrants have been issued as part of post-coup probe
Abdullah Abdulkadiroğlu, Samanyolu TV, Left the country according to AA |
Abdullah Katırcıoğlu, In custody |
Abdullah Kılıç, Meydan Gazetesi columnist, Under arrest |
Abdullah Özyurt, local Adana journalist, Under arrest |
Adil Gülçek, Former Cihan Medya Director |
Ahmet Dönmez, Former Zaman reporter, Left the country according to AA |
Ahmet Memiş, Haberdar, In custody |
Ahmet Metin Sekizkardeş, Vice President of Cihan Media Executive Board, In custody |
Ahmet Turan Alkan, Former Zaman columnist, Under arrest |
Ahmet Yavaş, TRT (Erzurum), Under arrest |
Alaattin Güner, Former Cihan Medya Director |
Ali Akbulut, owner of Zaman’s rights, formerly |
Ali Akkuş, Former Zaman General Publications Editor, Under arrest |
Ali Bulaç ,Former Zaman columnist, Under arrest |
Ali Ünal, Zaman columnist |
Arda Akın, Hürriyet reporter, Released on probation |
Arzu Yıldız, Haberdar |
Ayşe Nazlı Ilıcak, Yarına Bakış, Under arrest |
Aytekin Gezici, Under arrest |
Bayram Kaya, Zaman, Yeni Hayat reporter, Under arrest |
Behçet Akyar |
Bilal Şahin, Özgür Düşünce, Left the country according to AA |
Bülent Ceyhan, Özgür Düşünce reporter, Left the country according to AA |
Bülent Keneş, Former Today's Zaman Editor-in-Chief |
Bülent Korucu, Former Zaman columnist |
Bülent Mumay, Former Hürriyet Digital Publications Coordinator, Released by court order |
Bünyamin Köseli, Former Aksiyon reporter, Under arrest |
Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Under arrest |
Cevheri Güven, Nokta Magazine Editor-in-Chief |
Cihan Acar, Former Bugün reporter, Under arrest |
Cuma Kaya, In custody |
Cuma Ulus, Former Publications Coordinator for Millet daily, Under arrest |
Emre Koçali, Haberdar, In custody |
Emre Soncan, Former Zaman Defense Reporter, Under arrest |
Ercan Gün, Fox TV News Editor, Released on probation |
Erkan Akkuş, Former Bugün TV Anchor |
Erkan Büyük, Haberdar, In custody |
Ertuğrul Erbaş, Former Nokta Magazine Editor |
Faruk Akkan, Cihan Ajansı, In custody |
Faruk Kardıç |
Fatih Akalan, Samanyolu Haber Tv commentator, Left the country according to AA |
Fatih Yağmur, Former Radikal reporter, Left the country according to AA |
Fevzi Yazıcı |
Habip Güler, Former Zaman reporter, Under arrest |
Hakan Bülent Yardımcı, In custody |
Hakan Taşdelen |
Halil İbrahim Mert, TRT (Erzurum), Under arrest |
Hamit Bilici, Former Zaman Editor-in-Chief |
Hamit Çiçek |
Hanım Büşra Erdal, Former Zaman reporter and columnist, Under arrest |
Haşim Söylemez, Former Aksiyon Magazine columnist, Under arrest |
Hilmi Yavuz, Former Zaman columnist, Released due to poor health, will testify at a later time |
Hüseyin Aydın, Cihan reporter, Under arrest |
Hüseyin Döğme |
Hüseyin Turan, Partner in Feza Group (owners of Zaman), In custody |
İbrahim Balta, Former Zaman Business Editor, Under arrest |
İhsan Duran Dağı, Former Zaman columnist, Released by prosecutor without court referral |
İsi Siyi, Haberdar, In custody |
Kamil Maman, Former Bugün reporter, Left the country according to AA |
Kerim Gün, Former Zaman Editor |
Lalezar Sarıibrahimoğlu (Lale Kemal), Former Zaman columnist, Under arrest |
Levent Kenez, Meydan Gazetesi Editor-in-Chief |
Lokman Erdoğan, Çorum Manşet (local newspaper), In custody |
Mahmut Hazar, Cihan News Agency, Left the country according to AA |
Mehmet Akif Afşar |
Mehmet Gündem, Former Milliyet columnist, Released by court order |
Mehmet Kamış, Former Zaman columnist |
Mehmet Özdemir, |
Melih Kılıç, Zaman Media Group Sales Department |
Metin Tamer Gökçeoğlu |
Metin Yıkar, Samanyolu Haber |
Muhammed Fatih Uğur, Former Zaman News Manager |
Murat Avcıoğlu, In custody |
Mustafa Erkan Acar, Cihan News Agency, Under arrest |
Mustafa Ünal, Under arrest |
Mümtaz'er Türköne, Former Zaman columnist, In custody |
Mürsel Genç, Former Cihan reporter |
Nevzat Güner |
Nuri Durna, TRT (Ezurum), Under arrest |
Nuriye Ural (Akman), Former Zaman columnist, Under arrest |
Oktay Vızvız, |
Olgun Batur, Local Antalya journalist, In custody |
Osman Nuri Arslan, Partner in finance company FİA, In custody |
Osman Nuri Öztürk |
Ömer Karakaş |
Rıfat Söylemez, Adana Günaydın (local newspaper), In custody |
Sait Sefa, Haberdar |
Sedat Yetişkin |
Selahattin Sevi, Former Zaman Photograpy Coordinator, Left the country according to AA |
Sevgi Akarçeşme, Former Today’s Zaman Editor-in-Chief |
Seyid Kılıç, Former TRT reporter, Under arrest |
Süleyman Sargın |
Şahin Alpay, Former Zaman columnist, Under arrest |
Şenol Kahraman |
Şeref Yılmaz, Irmak TV, In custody |
Taner Talaş, Adana Yerel, In custody |
Tuncer Çetinkaya, Zaman Antalya, In custody |
Turan Görüryılmaz, Can Erzincan TV anchor, Left the country according to AA |
Ufuk Emin Köroğlu, Karşı Gazete reporter, Left the country according to AA |
Ufuk Şanlı, Former Vatan columnist, Under arrest |
Veysel Ayhan |
Yakup Çetin, Former Zaman reporter, Under arrest |
Yakup Sağlam, Former Zaman reporter, Released on probation |
Yalçın Güler, TRT (Erzurum), Under arrest |
Yüksel Durgut |
Yüksel Evsen, Adana local journalist, In custody |
Zafer Özsoy, In custody |
Zeki Önal, Not taken into custody due to advanced age and illness; his home was searched |
Journalists detained under State of Emergency outside coup probe
Selami Aslan – DİHA, Released
Mehmet Sıddık Damar – DİHA, Released
Esra Aydın – JİNHA, Released
Geylan Arslan – JİNHA, Released
Nizamettin Yılmaz – Azadiya Welat, In custody
Journalists known to have been arrested during State of Emergency outside coup probe
Zeynel Abidin Bulut – Azadiya Welat
Zehra Doğan – JİNHA
Hülya Karakaya – Özgür Halk
Mehmet Arslan – DİHA
List of media outlets shut down under State of Emergency decrees
TV Stations: Barış TV, Bugün TV, Can Erzincan TV, Dünya TV, Hira TV, Irmak TV, Kanal 124, Kanaltürk, MC TV, Mehtap TV, Merkür TV, Samanyolu Haber, Samanyolu TV, SRT TV, Tuna Shopping TV, Yumurcak TV.
News Agencies: Cihan Haber Ajansı, Muhabir Haber Ajansı and SEM Haber Ajansı
Newspapers: Adana Haber, Adana Medya, Akdeniz Türk, Şuhut’un Sesi, Kurtuluş, Lider, İscehisar, Durum, Türkeli, Antalya, Yerel Bakış, Nazar, Batman, Batman Postası, Batman Doğuş, Bingöl Olay, İrade, İskenderun Olay, Ekonomi, Ege’de Son Söz, Demokrat Gebze, Kocaeli Manşet, Bizim Kocaeli, Haber Kütahya, Gediz, Zafer, Hisar, Turgutlu Havadis, Milas Feza, Türkiye’de Yeni Yıldız, Hakikat, Urfa Haber Ajansı, Ajans 11, Yeni Emek, Banaz Postası, Son Nokta, Merkür Haber, Millet, Bugün, Meydan, Özgür Düşünce, Taraf, Yarına Bakış, Yeni Hayat, Zaman, Today’s Zaman.
Magazines: Akademik Araştırmalar, Aksiyon, Asya Pasifik, Bisiklet Çocuk, Diyalog, Avrasya, Ekolife, Ekoloji, Fountain, Gonca, Gül Yaprağı, Nokta, Sızıntı, Yağmur, Yeni Ümit, Zirve.
Radio stations: Aksaray Mavi, Aktüel, Berfin, Burç, Cihan, Dünya, Esra, Haber Radyo Ege, Herkül, Jest, Kanaltürk, Radyo 59, Radyo Aile Rehberi, Radyo Bamteli, Radyo Cihan, Radyo Fıkıh, Radyo Küre, Radyo Mehtap, Radyo Nur, Radyo Şemşik, Samanyolu Haber, Umut, Yağmur.
Publishing houses: Altınburç, Burak Basın Yayın Dağıtım, Define, Dolunay Eğitim Yayın Dağıtım, Giresun Basın Yayın Dağıtım, Gonca, Gülyurdu, GYV, Işık Akademi, Işık Özel Eğitim, İklim Basın Yayın Pazarlama, Kaydırak, Kaynak, Kervan Basın Yayıncılık, Kuşak, Muştu, Nil, Rehber, Sürat Basım Yayın Reklamcılık Eğitim Araçları, Sütun, Şahdamar, Ufuk Basın Yayın Haber Ajans Pazarlama, Ufuk, Waşanxaneya Nil, Yay Basın Dağıtım, Yeni Akademi, Yitik Hazine, Zambak Basın Yayın Eğitim Turizm
*Glossary of legal terms used in this text
Detain / Place in custody: To hold in police custody for police interrogation first, and later for testimony to a prosecutor. Might lead to a court appearance depending on the action taken by the prosecutor.
Arrest: To put into prison indefinitely – by court order – pending trial.
Released on probation: Released with an international flight ban issued. Usually entails checking in regularly with a designated police station.
These lists have been compiled by P24 editors from open news sources and will be updated regularly. Journalists who want to report developments about themselves or their colleagues can contact us at punto24info@gmail.com