Eylem Sonbahar
Journalist Seda Selek, who was detained along with Barış Pehlivan and Serhan Asker, testified before the prosecutor, stating that the situation arose simply because Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s statement coincided with her broadcast time. “If the statement had been made at a different time, another colleague would have faced this accusation,” she said.
Selek, a television presenter, and journalist Barış Pehlivan were detained in Istanbul, while Halk TV’s responsible editor Serhan Asker was taken into custody in Ankara. The arrests were linked to the broadcast of a conversation between İmamoğlu and a court-appointed expert, which led to an investigation. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office charged the journalists with "recording private conversations" and "attempting to influence an expert witness or a witness."
Following their detention, Pehlivan and Selek were taken to the Istanbul Police Department on Vatan Avenue. After completing their statements, they were transferred to Çağlayan Courthouse.
During her testimony, Selek explained that she hosts Neden Sonuç, a weekday program on Halk TV. While topics and guests are usually pre-planned, she noted that last-minute developments sometimes lead to changes in content. “On that particular day, the original topics had been determined in advance, but during the program, we learned that Ekrem İmamoğlu was holding a press conference. Naturally, the broadcast shifted focus to cover his statements,” she said.
Selek added that after airing İmamoğlu’s remarks, the panelists discussed the content, but she could not recall exactly what was said. “Generally, our discussions aim to inform the public. While these discussions were ongoing, I was informed through my earpiece that Barış Pehlivan had shared an audio recording, which was about to be broadcast. I had no prior knowledge of the recording’s existence or its upcoming release,” she stated.
She emphasized that there was no attempt to influence the expert witness and that the shift in program content was purely due to the breaking news event. Rejecting the allegations against her, Selek reiterated, “This situation only happened because the Istanbul mayor’s statement coincided with my broadcast time. If it had been made at a different hour, another colleague would be facing these accusations instead.”
