Turkey 2024: Journalists Faced a Year of State-Led Repression

The 2024 BİA Media Monitoring Report has revealed a deeply troubling landscape for press freedom in Turkey, describing the year as a period when the government “made journalists’ lives a living hell.” The report details widespread intimidation, judicial harassment, censorship, and physical violence against media professionals, highlighting the increasing hostility of the state and affiliated groups toward independent journalism.

At least 25 journalists and five media outlets were physically attacked, while 82 media professionals faced threats, largely from individuals connected to nationalist and ruling party circles. Despite the severity of the threats, the judicial system largely failed to act, fostering a climate of impunity.

One of the most prominent forms of repression in 2024 was the expanded use of judicial control measures. At least 57 journalists and online broadcasters were subjected to restrictions such as travel bans, mandatory police check-ins, and even house arrest. The report describes this as a form of “open-air imprisonment” aimed at silencing dissent without formal conviction.

Meanwhile, 10 journalists were imprisoned, and many more were entangled in ongoing lawsuits, facing charges that often lacked a clear legal basis. Government-controlled institutions like the Press Advertisement Institution imposed economic pressure by cutting off official advertising revenue to critical outlets, while broadcast bans and website blocking orders further choked independent reporting. Over 3,100 news articles were blocked throughout the year.

Online censorship also intensified. Courts frequently ordered the removal of content under the guise of protecting “personal rights.” Although the Constitutional Court ruled some of these removals violated freedom of expression, the practice remained widespread.

The report highlights dangerous rhetoric from political leaders such as Devlet Bahçeli, who openly targeted journalists in public speeches, reinforcing hostility toward the press.

As a result, Turkey dropped to 158th out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 Press Freedom Index.

The BİA report concludes that journalism in Turkey has been reduced to a profession under siege—targeted by political powers, policed by biased courts, and stifled by censorship. It warns that unless systemic reforms are enacted, the collapse of media freedom in Turkey will only deepen.