Expression Interrupted

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.

Journalists in State of Emergency – 6

Journalists in State of Emergency – 6

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 
Top