The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) has filed an individual application with Turkey’s Constitutional Court over judicial control measures imposed on journalist Erdoğan Alayumat, who was placed under a signature obligation and a travel ban after being detained for four days in November as part of an investigation based in Eskişehir.
MLSA argued that the confidentiality order on the case violated Alayumat’s right to defense and that he was subjected to judicial control measures solely due to his journalistic activities and the freelance payments he received for his work. The application also highlighted that Alayumat’s appeal against the measures was left unresolved for three months, effectively violating his right to seek legal recourse. The appeal claimed that the judicial controls infringed upon Alayumat’s rights to personal liberty and security, privacy, and freedom of expression and the press.
Alayumat was detained at his home in Istanbul on the morning of Nov. 26, 2024, as part of an Eskişehir-based operation. He was transferred to Eskişehir the same day, where authorities questioned him about payments he received for news reports published on various media platforms.
Represented by MLSA’s legal team, Alayumat was brought before the Criminal Judgeship of Peace on the fourth day of his detention. The court released him under judicial control, requiring him to sign in regularly and imposing a travel ban.
MLSA challenged these restrictions, but the Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ruled it lacked jurisdiction and transferred the case to Istanbul. As a result, Alayumat’s appeal was not processed until February, when the court ultimately decided to uphold the judicial control measures. In response, MLSA escalated the case to the Constitutional Court, arguing that the restrictions were unjustified and violated fundamental rights.
