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April 11, 2025, Iraq/Turkey –
In April 2025, Turkish courts began prosecuting 189 individuals—mostly university students and journalists—arrested during mass protests sparked by the detention of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. The protests, held on March 19, were some of the largest in Turkey in recent years, drawing thousands of participants across the country. Over 2,000 people were detained nationwide, with Istanbul seeing the highest number of arrests.
Those on trial face charges of participating in unauthorized demonstrations and resisting police orders. If convicted, sentences could range from six months to four years in prison. Among them are at least eight journalists, who have been separated into a different legal process. Defense lawyers argue these journalists were simply performing their jobs by covering the demonstrations. Their presence, they claim, was professional, not political.
The legal crackdown has extended to another group of journalists and activists. On April 11, fourteen people, including ten journalists, were tried for allegedly spreading propaganda for an illegal organization and violating assembly laws. These charges stem from a demonstration held in protest of the December 2024 killings of Kurdish journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin in a drone strike in Syria. After the hearing, the accused and their supporters held a press conference outside the Istanbul Courthouse, declaring their commitment to journalistic integrity and freedom of expression despite ongoing pressure.
The trials have triggered concern from global human rights organizations. Groups such as Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders have condemned the prosecutions as politically motivated attempts to stifle dissent and suppress press freedom. They argue that Turkey’s government is using the judicial system to silence critics, particularly among the youth and media.
These events highlight the rising tension in Turkey between authoritarian governance and growing calls, especially from young people, for democratic freedoms and transparency. As these trials continue, they have become a symbol of broader struggles over civil liberties in the country, drawing both national and international attention to the future of free expression and the right to protest in Turkey.
Reference –
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/04/19/students-journalists-on-trial-in-turkey-over-istanbul-protests_6740414_4.html
https://ifpnews.com/200-students-journalists-trial-turkey-istanbul-protests/
