June 2 – Journalist Elif Akgül, who had been held for 101 days in Istanbul’s Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison as part of an investigation into the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), was released on Sunday following a court order prompted by an appeal from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
Akgül was greeted with flowers by her lawyers and colleagues upon her release at around 4 p.m. Her first words were, “We are not afraid, we are not silent, we do not obey.”
Akgül was detained on Feb. 18 and formally arrested on Feb. 21 as part of an ongoing investigation targeting HDK, a civil society platform in Turkey often scrutinized by authorities over alleged ties to Kurdish political movements.
The decision to release Akgül came through a procedural court record which included a ruling made without a hearing—after MLSA filed an objection to her detention. MLSA is a legal advocacy group in Turkey that offers legal support to journalists and free expression cases.
Following her release, Erol Önderoğlu, Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), welcomed the development, stating, “Just like the lifting of journalist Ender İmrek’s house arrest, the release of our colleagues Yıldız Tar and Elif Akgül is a relief. But we will continue to emphasize tirelessly that such so-called 'precautionary measures' are arbitrary and amount to preemptive punishment. Get well soon!”
Despite Akgül’s release, journalist Ercüment Akdeniz remains in custody as part of the same HDK investigation.
The HDK has faced repeated legal pressure in Turkey, where authorities have targeted civil society actors, opposition politicians, and journalists over alleged affiliations with outlawed Kurdish groups. Rights organizations have frequently criticized these investigations as politically motivated and a threat to press freedom.
