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January 21, 2025 – Turkey –
Six journalists were remanded in custody following coordinated house raids in Istanbul, Bodrum, and Artvin. The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) reported that these journalists face charges of “membership in a terrorist organisation”—accusations allegedly based solely on their professional reporting activities.
The detained include Ozan Cırık (Sendika.org), Dicle Baştürk, Eylem Emel Yılmaz, and Yavuz Akengin, who were initially taken into custody on June 13 and formally arrested three days later in Artvin. Meanwhile, three others—Semra Pelek, Melisa Efe (translator for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), and Ömer Bülenter—were released under judicial supervision.
Lawyers for the detained journalists described the charges as entirely unfounded. Yücel Arslan, legal counsel for Dicle Baştürk, stated that the authorities treated standard journalistic work and associated payments as “criminal evidence.” He criticized the investigation as “unexamined and unsubstantiated”.
This incident comes amid a broader wave of repression targeting journalists in Turkey. According to the International Press Institute, at least nine journalists were arrested and six sentenced in January 2025 alone, with around 23 facing investigations or police obstruction. Data from CPJ indicates over 20 journalists remain in pretrial detention under similar charges, many accused of terrorism-related offences.
Comparable mass detentions occurred earlier this year, including eight journalists covering anti-government protests in March, some detained for reporting on demonstrations. Government actions have been criticized internationally, particularly as press freedom erodes amid political turmoil and legal clampdowns.
Turkey’s anti-terror laws and criminal code are increasingly used to target dissenting voices. Courts frequently impose lengthy pretrial detentions, with trials marked by sweeping indictments and limited evidence. Human rights advocates argue such tactics intimidate independent media and suppress dissent.
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