Pressure on journalists covering protests over the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu continues to escalate, with at least 10 journalists detained in early morning raids on March 24 in Istanbul and Izmir. The latest wave of arrests follows widespread reports of police violence targeting media workers, with more than 20 journalists assaulted by police or protesters in the past four days alone.
Journalists detained in raids across Istanbul and Izmir
Those taken into custody in Istanbul include prominent photojournalist Bülent Kılıç; Kurtuluş Arı, a photographer for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality; and AFP photojournalist Yasin Akgül. The operation also targeted NOW TV reporter Ali Onur Tosun, freelance journalist Zeynep Kuray, journalist Hayri Tunç, and Gökhan Kam, a photographer employed by the Bakırköy Municipality.
In a simultaneous raid in the western coastal city of Izmir, photojournalist Murat Kocabaş was detained after police stormed his home. Additionally, BirGün columnist Barış İnce was arrested in Istanbul on the same morning.
The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), which provides legal support for journalists in Turkey, announced that its legal team is currently at the Istanbul Police Department in Vatan to assist the detainees.
Detentions follow a string of assaults on media workers
Beyond the arrests, journalists have faced increasing violence in the streets while covering the protests. On March 23, Zişan Gür, a reporter for Sendika.org, was detained while reporting from a protest site.
On March 21, during protests in Istanbul, eight journalists were physically assaulted by police officers while reporting:
-
Hakan Akgün, Anadolu Agency
-
Yasin Akgül, AFP
-
Dilara Şenkaya, Reuters
-
Ali Dinç, Bianet
-
Eylül Deniz Yaşar, İlke TV
-
Kemal Aslan, freelance photojournalist
-
Rojda Altıntaş, freelance journalist
-
Yusuf Çelik, Özgür Gelecek
The following day, March 22, Nefes Gazetesi reporter Egemen İsar and journalist Rıfat Kırcı were also reportedly beaten by police while covering protests.
Meanwhile, on March 19, the day İmamoğlu was detained, Akit TV reporter Serkan Okur was assaulted—this time by protesters.
Background: Detention of Istanbul mayor sparks nationwide protests
Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key opposition figure and mayor of Istanbul, was detained in the early hours of March 19. The incident triggered large-scale protests in Istanbul and across several Turkish cities. Police responded with heavy force, detaining dozens of demonstrators. The aggressive crackdown, especially against journalists, has drawn condemnation from press freedom groups and heightened concerns over the state of civil liberties in Turkey.
Turkey continues to rank among the most repressive countries in the world for press freedom, with regular reports of journalists facing legal harassment, arbitrary detention, and physical violence while reporting in the field.
