Journalist Elif Akgül, who was detained in Istanbul on Feb. 18 as part of an operation targeting the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), has completed her police questioning. Lawyers from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) Legal Unit were present during her statement.
Akgül was initially barred from meeting with her lawyers for 24 hours before being questioned. Authorities asked whether she had relatives actively involved in the PKK/KCK, whether she was a member of any union or association, and whether she played a role within the HDK. She was also asked to provide information about HDK’s activities, organizational structure, and financial sources.
Her phone conversations were also scrutinized, particularly those related to protests she covered as a journalist. She was questioned about demonstrations on Newroz, May 1 Labor and Solidarity Day, and the 2013 Gezi Park protests. Police also inquired about her calls with other journalists, messages from colleagues, and whether she knew certain detained individuals. Additionally, she was asked about her name appearing in certain news reports.
In her statement, Akgül denied the accusations, emphasizing that she was engaged in journalism. She stated that transcripts used in the investigation were prepared by the "Fethullahist organization," were unlawfully recorded, and had previously been dismissed by the courts. She also noted that an open-source search had mistakenly linked her name with a union official and stressed that she had no connection to any detained individuals.
Akgül underlined that her journalistic work was published on bianet.org and said she had no knowledge of the case files or news reports in which her name was mentioned. "I have never been involved in any criminal organization or violent act. I have committed no crime—I practiced journalism," she said, demanding her release.
