Journalist Furkan Karabay, who was released after serving 201 days in pretrial detention, is back under judicial restrictions less than two months later, highlighting what media advocates say is mounting pressure on journalists in Turkey.
Karabay was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison at a Dec. 2, 2025 hearing, but the court ruled for his release. Forty days after leaving prison, on Jan. 22, he was detained as part of an investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) on allegations of “publicly disseminating misleading information.” A court later placed him under house arrest. He has been confined to his home for about six weeks.
Karabay spoke about the case during an appearance on the program Çetele hosted by Onur Öncü on MLSA TV.
He said the house arrest order would not prevent him from practicing journalism.
“There is no point in putting this much pressure on us. When I set my mind to it, I will do my journalism. You cannot make me do otherwise. Put me in prison if you want, place me under house arrest, shut down X if you want… What else can you do?” he said, referring to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Karabay argued that the pressure on journalists is political in nature.
“Those who issued the arrest decision know that Alican Uludağ did not insult the president. They also know that I did not target individuals who have taken part in counterterrorism efforts. The aim here is clear: politically motivated cases carried out under a legal guise,” he said.
He also drew attention to the case of Pınar Gayip, a staff member of the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), who has been arrested.
“These journalists are detained every year. Always with the same accusations… Doors are broken down, they are taken into custody and arrested. Why? She attended the funeral of Emine Ocak from the Saturday Mothers. Why is she being arrested? She sent 100 lira to someone. And then they ask, ‘Who gave you the order?’” he said.
The Saturday Mothers are a group of relatives of people who disappeared in custody in the 1990s, who have held weekly vigils in Istanbul for decades seeking accountability.
The full program is available on MLSA TV.
