MLSA - Emrah Gülsunar, a political scientist charged with “openly inciting to commit a crime through the press,” was released from pretrial detention on Tuesday after spending 36 days behind bars. The Istanbul 51st Criminal Court of First Instance ordered his release during the first hearing of his trial, imposing a travel ban as a judicial control measure.
Gülsunar had been arrested on Oct. 11 over a social media poll he posted discussing the legitimacy of seeking foreign support to overthrow dictatorial regimes. In his defense statement, he argued that the poll was part of his academic work and fell within the scope of political science, stating: “Telling a political scientist not to discuss regimes is like telling a physicist not to talk about thermodynamics.”
The poll in question was published in the context of international debate after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The two poll options were: “Seeking foreign help to overthrow a dictatorial regime – Legitimate / Not legitimate.”
Gülsunar told the court that his work as a political scientist focuses on categorizing regimes as democratic, authoritarian, or hybrid. “In democratic and hybrid regimes, power changes through elections; in authoritarian regimes, change often happens via coups or revolutions. This is not my personal opinion—it’s a scientific fact,” he said.
He also criticized the basis for the prosecution, saying that if using political terminology could be considered incitement, then books like Coups for the Curious by Turkish journalist Murat Yetkin should also be investigated. He emphasized that he was referring specifically to Venezuela in the poll, not Turkey. “Two years ago, I tweeted that Turkey is not a dictatorial regime,” he added.
Gülsunar further argued that the case represents pressure on academic freedom and freedom of expression. “I was targeted by online campaigns, deleted the post, and was arrested in the middle of the night,” he said. “My social media post does not disrupt public order. But opening this case is a direct assault on freedom of expression and academic freedom. I feel this pressure in my life. I used to teach at Kültür University. I no longer can. A peer-reviewed article of mine has been put on hold. I’ve been in prison for 36 days. Does this seem fair?”
One of his attorneys, Prof. Hasan Sınar, also maintained that the tweet should be evaluated in the context of political developments in Venezuela, not Turkey. “In 2025, we should not be seeing academics punished for tweets,” he said.
Another lawyer, Mehmet Can Seyhan, argued that the evidence had been gathered through the now-defunct “Virtual Patrol” surveillance system, which was annulled by Turkey’s Constitutional Court. “This evidence is illegal. According to Court of Cassation rulings, it is considered ‘fruit of the poisonous tree.’ It cannot be used for prosecution,” he said.
Seyhan added: “Conducting a poll is not a crime. Our client made an academic analysis and shared it. Treating this as a crime is a punishment of academic freedom.”
Following the defense statements, the prosecutor requested that Gülsunar remain in detention. However, the court ruled for his release under a travel ban. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2026, at 10 a.m.
