While many journalists, politicians, and activists appeared before a judge this week, the heavy pressure against actions regarding developments in Syria and especially against journalists stood out. In the protest in Nusaybin, five journalists were taken into custody, and as of January 23, the prosecutor’s questioning procedures are ongoing. Additionally, journalist Furkan Karabay, who was previously held in prison for about seven months, was again detained due to a news report related to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) indictment.
In the week of January 19 (January 19–25, 2026), MLSA monitored nine separate hearings. Excluding the Tarlabaşı Community Center (TTM) case, a total of 40 people were tried in these hearings.
Among those tried this week were at least 25 journalists/press workers, at least 2 politicians, at least 3 activists, at least 7 students, and 2 businesspeople.
The week’s hearing schedule began on January 19 in Diyarbakır with the second hearing of the case filed against former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş due to his speeches in 2016; the hearing was brief and the trial was postponed.
On January 20, at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court, the 8th hearing was held in the case where 19 journalists and press workers are being tried on charges of “membership in an organization” and “propaganda for an organization”; the court rejected the requests to lift the travel bans and decided to complete the missing elements in the case file and postponed the hearing to April 9, 2026, at 09:20.
TÜSİAD case
At the Istanbul 28th Criminal Court of First Instance, the third hearing was held in the case where former TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan and TÜSİAD High Advisory Council President Ömer Aras are being tried with the charges of “publicly spreading misleading information” and “attempting to influence a fair trial” based on their statements; the court accepted the defendants’ and their lawyers’ requests for time to respond to the prosecutor’s opinion and postponed the hearing to March 6, 2026, at 10:00.
Feminist Night March case
On January 20, at the Istanbul 10th Criminal Court of First Instance, a hearing was held in the case where journalist Buse Söğütlü, who was detained while covering the 21st Feminist Night March, and four other people are being tried. During the hearing, allegations of ill-treatment and torture during the detention process were raised, but according to observation notes, these statements were not recorded in the official minutes. The court decided to forcibly bring in the complainant police officers and postponed the trial to April 15, 2026, at 11:00.
Acquittal for journalist Elif Akgül
On January 10, at the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court, in the case where journalist Elif Akgül, represented by MLSA, and politician Mehmet Saltoğlu were being tried on charges of “membership in an organization” within the scope of the HDK investigations, the court ruled for acquittal for both defendants due to lack of sufficient evidence. Akgül had been detained on February 18 during an operation against HDK and was arrested four days later. She was released from prison on June 2 with a travel ban.
Conviction in Barış Terkoğlu’s case
Also on January 20, at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, in the case where journalist Barış Terkoğlu is being tried on charges of “defamation” due to his opinion columns, the court sentenced him to 1 year and 15 days in prison;the sentence was deferred.
TTM case was held
On January 21, at the Istanbul 18th Civil Court of First Instance, the dissolution (closure) case filed against the Association for Supporting the Tarlabaşı Community (TTM) on the grounds of being “against law and morality” was held. The court decided to wait for the result of the ongoing criminal case against the association’s executives; also, intervention requests from various institutionswere rejected.
Trial of journalists prosecuted in the Eskişehir investigation
On January 22, at the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court, the fifth hearing was held in the case where Mezopotamya Agency reporters Esra Solin Dal and Mehmet Aslan, and journalist Erdoğan Alayumat, represented by MLSA, are being tried on charges of “membership in an organization.” Mehmet Aslan attended via SEGBİS (Audio and Video Information System), and a secret witness was also heard via SEGBİS; the prosecution requested the file be sent for preparing its final opinion, and the trial was postponed to April 7, 2026, at 10:30.
Acquittal for seven students in the Saraçhane case
On January 23, at the Istanbul 19th Criminal Court of First Instance, the third hearing was held in the case where 7 people were charged with “insulting the President” due to slogans chanted at the Saraçhane rally; at the end of the trial, the court acquitted all defendants due to lack of sufficient evidence.
One of the developments that shaped this week’s agenda on freedom of expression and press freedom was the release of French journalist Raphaël Boukandoura following MLSA’s objection after he was detained and transferred to a deportation center. Boukandoura, who has been working in Turkey for over ten years and is a correspondent for the French newspaper Libération, was detained on January 19 while covering a press statement in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul. Following his detention, the journalist was held under administrative supervision at the Arnavutköy Removal Center, and deportation proceedings were initiated against him.
Among the 22 people detained on January 21 during a protest in the Nusaybin district of Mardin — a city in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border — against attacks targeting Kurds in Syria, were also five journalists, including Dicle Fırat Journalists Association Co-Chair Kesira Önel and journalists Pelşin Çetinkaya, Heval Önkol, Ferhat Akıncı, and Muhammed Ali Yılmaz. The journalists are expected to give statements at the courthouse today (January 23).
Legal agenda
In theapplication to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on behalf of Sinan Aygül — the first journalist arrested under MLSA’s so-called “censorship law” for “publicly spreading misleading information” (Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code) — it was argued that the censorship law does not meet the criteria of legality. The application is considered to have the potential to set a precedent in evaluating the compatibility of the censorship law with ECtHR criteria.
In a notification submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which monitors the implementation of ECtHR judgments, MLSA drew attention to violations of freedom of expression against journalists in Turkey.
The notification noted that systemic problems continue in freedom of expression cases and that the rate of journalists being tried while in detention is increasing. The notification also included data from MLSA’s 2025 report from its Press and Freedom of Expression Trial Monitoring Program.
