- MLSA was once again on the ground in 2025 in defense of freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial.
- The MLSA Legal Unit participated in 72 hearings across Turkey in 2025, representing 55 journalists.
- 29 journalists were taken into custody; detentions have become systematic.
- In just the first seven months of the year, 1,306 pieces of content were blocked; censorship was carried out based on provisions annulled by the Constitutional Court.
The Legal Unit of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) provided legal support throughout 2025 in cases across Turkey related to freedom of expression and journalism activities. The legal team attended 72 hearings over the course of the year, representing 55 journalists in these proceedings.
Of the cases conducted during the year:
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13 ended in acquittal,
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In 3, it was ruled that there was no ground for prosecution,
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2 cases were dismissed,
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In 2 files, the charges were rejected.
On the other hand, 9 journalists were convicted. Of these verdicts, 7 were deferred, 1 journalist was sentenced to prison, and 1 was fined a judicial monetary penalty. Additionally, 2 cases were dismissed in unfavorable rulings.
The Constitutional Court found rights violations in 6 of 9 individual applications filed by MLSA. Three applications were rejected.
Throughout the year, the MLSA legal team:
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Filed 12 appeals,
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Submitted 6 petitions to the Court of Cassation,
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Prepared 57 legal objections;
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Appealed 8 access bans,
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Submitted 6 written defense statements.
In addition, a total of 38 petitions were filed regarding the return of digital evidence, retrials, expert reports, and release requests.
During the year, MLSA also filed:
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4 compensation lawsuits (under Article 141 of the Constitution),
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1 administrative lawsuit (due to police violence), and
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1 criminal complaint (on the grounds of disproportionate use of force).
MLSA submitted 30 new applications and 13 supplementary statements to the Constitutional Court. It also filed 3 new applications to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and responded to 4 government opinions.
The team conducted 40 prison visits throughout the year and provided urgent legal support to 13 individuals during custody, interrogation, and court proceedings.
One of the most significant developments of 2025 was the ruling by the ECtHR in favor of journalist Burcu Özkaya Günaydın. The court ruled that her right to freedom of expression had been violated and ordered the state to pay Günaydın €2,000 in non-pecuniary damages and €500 in legal costs.
2025 trial monitoring: Hearings, journalists and the state of press freedom
Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 30, 2025, MLSA monitored a total of 287 cases across Turkey and attended 461 hearings. Among the 139 individuals on trial in these cases were:
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46 journalists,
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50 activists,
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14 lawyers,
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65 students,
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21 politicians, and
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1 artist.
The majority of hearings were concentrated in three cities:
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Istanbul accounted for 39% of hearings,
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Ankara for 25%, and
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Diyarbakır for 11%.
The remaining 25% were held in 22 other cities. This distribution shows that trials are largely concentrated in certain centers, but that repression is also selectively spreading across the country.
Increased pressure through detention and arrest of journalists
A total of 29 journalists were taken into custody throughout the year. Most of these detentions were directly linked to their journalistic activities. The most frequently cited accusation was “membership in a terrorist organization,” a charge faced by 13 journalists. These charges were often based on published news stories and social media posts.
Some journalists were charged with:
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Insulting the President or Prime Minister (such as Furkan Karabay and Fatih Altaylı),
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Violating the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations, Law No. 2911. Under this, Yasin Akgül, Zeynep Kuray, and Bülent Kılıç were detained on March 19 for covering protests following the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Other journalists were accused of:
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Inciting hatred and hostility among the public (Aslan Özdemir, Enver Aysever, Özkan Bozkurt, Serkan Adanır),
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Unauthorized use of personal data (Emin Aydın),
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Violating the censorship law (Can Taşkın),
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Espionage (Merdan Yanardağ).
In total, 53 journalists were detained, typically while covering political developments or social events, or after publishing critical content.
Among the detained were journalists represented by MLSA, including Yıldız Tar, Elif Akgül, Abdullah Kaya, Ercüment Akdeniz, Bülent Kılıç, Zeynep Kuray, Yasin Akgül, and Joakim Medin. Four of these individuals were formally arrested and sent to prison.
The pressure was not limited to specific media outlets; local and national media, print and digital publications, field reporters, columnists, and international journalists were all targeted. BBC reporter Mark Lowen was deported from the country.
In many cases, journalists were either referred to court with requests for arrest or released under judicial control. Detention appears to have become more of a punitive tool rather than a preventive measure.
FreeWeb 2025: Censorship becomes routine, internet content blocked systematically
According to FreeWebTurkey’s 2025 report, internet censorship continued throughout the year in Turkey. The most common justification for blocking content was “national security.”
In the first seven months of the year:
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1,306 content items were subjected to access bans,
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Restrictions were imposed on 3,330 URLs.
Most of the blocked content consisted of journalistic work and social media posts.
According to 105 access restriction orders issued by 70 different courts:
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The most targeted content came from Kurdish media outlets, independent news platforms, and journalists’ social media posts.
Under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, 496 items of content — about 38% — were blocked.
A further 443 pieces of content were blocked under vague justifications such as “personality rights” or “emergency situation.”
In 41 court orders, no reasoning was provided.
Despite the Constitutional Court’s 2023 annulment of Article 9, it was still cited to censor 29 pieces of content.
Institutions such as the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), and the Capital Markets Board (SPK) also issued censorship decisions:
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BTK targeted content related to foreign GSM operators,
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RTÜK imposed bans on broadcasts for license violations.
The report concluded that censorship had gone beyond targeting specific content and had become a systematic tool to silence journalism and suppress public debate.
2025 events and panels: Solidarity, training and discussion platforms
Throughout 2025, MLSA organized a variety of events in different areas. Through panels, workshops, reports, and training programs, the organization raised awareness about rights violations affecting freedom of expression and journalism and strengthened solidarity networks.
Censorship law panel — Feb. 28
At the panel held on Feb. 28, participants discussed how the censorship law in Turkey has impacted news production. The event, moderated by MLSA Co-Director Barış Altıntaş, featured journalists Banu Tuna, Evrim Kepenek, Candan Yıldız, and Enes Ermaner as speakers. They spoke about the pressures experienced in newsrooms and the practice of self-censorship.
Press freedom and digitalization panel — May 16
On May 16, a panel titled “Press Freedom in the Digital Age” was organized in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Istanbul. Opening speeches were delivered by Germany’s Consul General Dr. Regine Grienberger and MLSA Co-Director Veysel Ok.
AI and storytelling workshop — Oct. 16–17
In collaboration with ARTICLE 19, a two-day workshop titled “Storytelling and Generative Artificial Intelligence for Journalists and Civil Society” was held on Oct. 16–17. In sessions led by Gökçer Tahincioğlu, participants discussed narrative language. Ahmet A. Sabancı led a session on the ethical limits of AI tools and their relationship with human rights.
Capacity-building training for civil society — Oct. 17 and Nov. 28
Due to high demand, the “Preparation for Association Inspections and Capacity-Building” training initially held on Oct. 17 was repeated on Nov. 28. In these sessions, Kerem Dikmen, Legal Coordinator of KAOS GL, financial advisor Samet Güçlü, and accounting specialist Can Akgün shared their knowledge and experience with civil society organizations.
