A new publication by MLSA is out titled "Voices Silenced: Turkey's media behind bars." This book tells the stories of some of Turkey’s journalists who got detained, imprisoned or stood trial and represented by the Media and Law Studies Association.
2025 has been a harsh year for Turkey’s press freedom. In January, the year started with an operation against Medya Haber where seven journalists were detained under the allegation of membership to a terrorist organization including MLSA client Vedat Örüç, a journalist expert on environmental journalism and green issues.
Medya Haber operations were followed by HDK operations in February 2025 which resulted in the imprisonment of four journalists, three of whom represented by MLSA. On the morning of February 18, 2025; Yıldız Tar, Editor in Chief of KAOS GL – LGBTİ+ news platform; Elif Akgül a journalist working on human rights and an editor for İLKE TV and Nurcan Kaya, a human rights lawyer and a columnist working for Artı Gerçek. After four grueling days of detention at Istanbul Police Headquarters, Yıldız Tar and Elif Akgül were imprisoned on remand meanwhile Nurcan Kaya was put under house arrest.
On March 18th, İstanbul Mayor and Presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu’s diploma was cancelled which led to widespread protests, the next morning on March 19th, in the morning the news came that Mr. İmamoğlu’s residence was surrounded by the police officers and he was being detained. Istanbul Governor’s office immediately issued a ban on any kind of meetings and protests in Turkey. Both developments led to widespread protests both in Istanbul and also in other cities. The main opposition called for protests in Saraçhane, the seat of Istanbul Mayor, meanwhile many students organized protests which led to police interventions and widespread arrests especially in Istanbul. Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on remand on March 23th 2025.
On the morning of March 24th; seven photojournalists were taken into custody and taken into Istanbul Vatan Police HQs under the allegation of participating in unlawful demonstrations. Three of these seven journalists were MLSA clients: internationally awarded photojournalist Bülent Kılıç, AFP’s Turkey photojournalist Yasin Akgül and freelance journalist Zeynep Kuray. In their police interrogation, they were shown photos in which their cameras were delibaretly was not seen. The next day they were set to be freed with judicial control measures but then the news came to the lawyers that they were being sent to the judgeship with the request of their imprisonment on remand. They were arrested on March 25th for violating the law on demonstrations while they were covering the news. On the same night, the leader of CHP, Turkey’s main opposition, Özgür Özel said in his rally that as there are no space in the prisons, the seven journalists arrested are still being held at the police station and they were set to be scattered to different prisons in different cities.
A national and international outcry started for the imprisonment of these journalists. Meanwhile MLSA Legal Unit objected to their arrests immediately. Hopefully after one day of imprisonment, they were freed upon MLSA’s objection on March 27th.
While celebrating the liberation of these seven journalists, the news came that a Swedish reporter in the name of Joakim Medin was taken into custody at Istanbul Airport while coming to Turkey to report on the developments regarding the arrest of Mr. İmamoğlu. Everyone thought that he was to be deported after his testimony obtained. But suddenly, on the evening of March 28th, the news broke that he was to be arrested on remand under the allegations of Insulting the President and membership in an armed terrorist organization. He was sent to Maltepe Prison where he was visited the next day by a member of MLSA Legal Unit. Then it was revealed that Mr. Medin was not provided a translator, he was not given a lawyer of his choosing and he barely were shown the evidence against him. When a lawyer from MLSA went to meet with Joakim on the next day, it was revealed that Mr. Medin was transferred to Turkey’s infamous Silivri Prison Complex where Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and many other high profile politicians like Ümit Özdağ, activists like Can Atalay and Osman Kavala, film directors like İlker Canikligil were imprisoned.
From the end of March and until the beginning of June; MLSA Legal Unit put on a hard work and brought the cases of these journalists before the Constitutional Court challenging their unlawful imprisonments. Hearings, objections, petitions, visits to prisons and much more…
