Turkish journalist Can Öztürk will not face prosecution in a censorship law investigation launched over his news report alleging abuse during so-called “conversion therapy” sessions targeting LGBT+ children, after prosecutors ruled the report fell within the scope of press and expression freedoms.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case following a complaint by Professor Ahmet Akın, who was accused in the March 4, 2025, report of sexual abuse during therapy sessions meant to "change" the sexual orientation or gender identity of children. The investigation was based on allegations of “insult,” “defamation,” and “public dissemination of misleading information” under Turkey’s disinformation law, widely criticized by press freedom advocates and dubbed the “censorship law.”
According to the non-prosecution decision by the Prosecutor’s Office's Bureau for Investigating Press Crimes, the news report consisted of presenting allegations against Prof. Akın in a way that reflected their factual appearance and was therefore protected under the right to freedom of the press and expression. Prosecutors found no evidence of any crime.
The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), which provided legal support to Öztürk, said in a statement that the investigation was launched after Prof. Akın filed a complaint about the article titled “Abuse and harassment allegations in conversion session: Children accuse, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akın denies”, which was published by independent news outlet T24.
The article reported on allegations by children who claimed to have been abused during conversion therapy sessions held by Akın, a former dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Istanbul Medeniyet University. The report included interviews with the alleged victims and also featured Prof. Akın’s responses to the accusations, presented without editorial comment. Akın denied the claims, saying, “These kids are out of control.”
Öztürk gave his statement to police on Aug. 21 at the Istanbul Security Directorate’s Public Security Branch, accompanied by the MLSA legal team. In his defense statement, Öztürk said he had acted based on information from a news source, interviewed the children who made the allegations, and gave Akın the opportunity to respond. He emphasized that he followed journalistic ethics and professional standards throughout the reporting process and argued that the investigation into his work was unwarranted.
MLSA lawyer Batıkan Erkoç said that Öztürk’s article provided Prof. Akın with ample opportunity to defend himself, and was fully in line with journalism principles. He described Akın’s complaint as a misuse of legal channels intended to suppress the public’s right to information.
The complaint filed by Akın through his lawyer on March 7, 2025, asserted that the allegations in the news report were baseless and called for legal action against the journalists involved. The university also responded to the controversy: Istanbul Medeniyet University announced on March 5 that an internal investigation had been launched into Akın and that he had been temporarily removed from his position as department chair during the process.
