Türkiye’s press freedom is facing worsening crackdowns as 2026 is setting in motion. Journalists and media workers are subjected to arbitrary arrests, forced detentions, criminal prosecutions, prolonged pre-trial detentions, judicial harassment and other forms of repression that seriously undermine press freedom and the public’s right to information. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) strongly condemn these ongoing attacks on press freedom and call for the immediate release of all journalists who are detained or jailed.
Turkish authorities have detained several journalists across the country while they were covering pro-Kurdish protests, which erupted after fighting resumed between Kurdish forces and the Syrian government in early January. Police broke up demonstrations in cities including Şırnak, Nusaybin, and Istanbul.
On 14 January, journalist Nedim Oruç, a reporter for the Kurdish news outlet Ajansa Welat, was detained in Şırnak’s Cizre district in Türkiye, while covering a demonstration related to alleged human rights violations in Syria.
On 20 January, French journalist Raphaël Boukandoura, the Türkiye correspondent of Libération, was detained while reporting on a pro-Kurdish protest in Istanbul, despite holding valid press credentials. He was released the following day.
On 21 January, authorities detained six journalists, including DFG Co-chair Kesire Önel, Heval Önkol from the Mezopotamya News Agency and Pelşin Çetinkaya from the JIN News Agency, along with Ferhat Akıncı, Muhammet Ali Yılmaz and Barış Demircan, for covering protests near the Syria border.
Another series of recent developments underscores the escalating pressure on reporters and media workers in Türkiye since the beginning of 2026 using the judiciary system, alongside an increasingly restrictive censorship regime imposed by the government.
On 8 January, Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, a foreign affairs reporter at Dagens ETC, appeared for a second trial on charges of “membership in a terrorist organisation.” The proceedings are postponed to 7 May, while Swedish authorities are asked to respond to a formal request of the Turkish authorities.
On 9 January, authorities blocked access to the X accounts of Mezopotamya News Agency and Jin News Agency, citing legal compliance requirements.
On 13 January, veteran journalist Zafer Arapkirli, a columnist for BirGün newspaper, was prosecuted on charges of “insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan” over a social media post on October 23, 2024.
On 13 January, freelance aviation journalist Ali Kıdık reported being placed on Turkish Airlines’ internal no-fly list, raising concerns over retaliation for critical reporting on aviation safety and operations.
On 20 January, freelance journalist, Elif Akgül, was prosecuted for alleged “membership in a terrorist organisation”.
On 20 and 21 January, journalists Timur Soykan, Barış Pehlivan, Şule Aydın and Murat Ağırel appeared before courts on charges including defamation, spreading misleading information and violating confidentiality.
On 21 January, journalist Barış Terkoğlu, a columnist for the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet and a contributor to the Onlar TV YouTube channel, was sentenced to one year and 15 days in prison in a defamation case involving the latter media outlet. His sentence was suspended, subject to two years of probation.
On 23 January, journalist Furkan Karabay, an investigative court reporter working for the Medyascope news website, was detained on the accusation of publicly disseminating misleading information related to the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
“These incidents are part of a long-standing and systematic campaign to repress independent journalism in Türkiye. Since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came to power more than two decades ago, journalists have repeatedly been targeted through criminal prosecutions, prison sentences and heavy fines”, say IFJ/EFJ.
Central to this crackdown is the continued use of Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalises actions “insulting the president.” Despite a 2021 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights finding the provision incompatible with freedom of expression, Turkish courts persisted in applying it. Journalists are also prosecuted and imprisoned under broader penal code provisions and counterterrorism legislation.
According to the IFJ, 21 journalists were behind bars in Türkiye at the end of 2025 solely because of their journalistic work. In light of these ongoing violations, the IFJ and the EFJ call on the Turkish authorities to immediately end the judicial harassment of journalists, cease the application of laws that criminalise legitimate journalistic work and release all journalists detained.
Source: IFJ
