- This week, 36 people appeared before a judge in eight cases; at least 10 journalists were tried on charges of “organization” and “insult,” all hearings were adjourned. The common picture of the week: time for defense, waiting for the opinion on the merits, trials prolonged indefinitely.
- Journalist Alican Uludağ was detained on the grounds of his posts and was arrested on the charge of “chain insult of the President”; concerns over the criminalization of journalistic activity grew once again this week.
- Problems regarding the right to a fair trial were again on the agenda: delays of the panel, audibility problems in the courtroom, rejection of requests to confront witnesses and to have witnesses heard, law enforcement interventions and arbitrary restrictions determined the course of the proceedings.
In eight separate cases reflected in hearing observations and the shared judicial agenda during the week of Feb. 16–22, 2026, a total of 36 people appeared before a judge. In these files, at least 10 journalists were tried, while a lawyer, a translator, a sociologist and many human rights defenders were also included in the proceedings on charges such as “membership in an organization,” “aiding an organization,” “organization propaganda,” “insulting a public official” and “insulting the President.” All hearings seen throughout the week were adjourned or time was given for the next stage; in some files, problems regarding the right to a fair trial (delay of the panel, restriction of the right to defense, audibility problem in the courtroom, rejection of requests to confront witnesses and police interventions) came to the fore.
Journalist Alican Uludağ was detained on the evening of Feb. 19, 2026, on the grounds of social media posts on allegations of “publicly insulting the President,” “publicly disseminating misleading information” and “publicly denigrating the Turkish Nation, the Republic of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the judicial organs of the State.” Uludağ was arrested on the charge of “chain insult of the President.” Uludağ, in his defense, said he did not accept the accusations: “I gave statements at the law enforcement and at the prosecutor’s office on this matter. I have been doing courthouse reporting for 18 years. I did my job within the limits of journalism. None of the posts in the allegations of the prosecutor contain elements of crime. They are completely within the scope of the right to criticism.”
At the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court, the second hearing of journalist Erdoğan Alayumat, journalists Tuğçe Yılmaz, Suzan Demir, Gülcan Dereli, Kemal Taylan Abatan, translator Serap Güneş and sociologist Berfin Atlı, who are tried on the charge of “aiding an organization” on the grounds that they made copyrighted news for the Germany-published Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper and its culture-art supplement PolitikArt, was seen on Feb. 17. The hearing was adjourned to April 28, 2026, deciding to wait for the examination of digital materials.
At the Adana 11th High Criminal Court, the second hearing of lawyer Şiar Rişvanoğlu, who is tried on the allegation of “being a member of an armed terrorist organization,” was held on Feb. 16; despite the reminder that the witness withdrew his statement, the prosecution requested punishment, the court left the hearing to April 10, 2026, for defense against the opinion on the merits.
At the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court, the sixth hearing of the case in which journalist-writer Mehmet Şahin is tried on the allegation of “being a member of an organization” was seen on Feb. 17. It was decided to notify the file to the prosecutor for the preparation of the opinion on the merits; the hearing was adjourned to June 11, 2026.
In the same court, this time the third hearing of the case in which Pîne Cafe operator Ramazan Şimşek is tried on the charge of “making organization propaganda” was held on Feb. 17. The hearing was adjourned to April 21, 2026, on the grounds of “remedying deficiencies” regarding the accusation based on social media posts.
At the Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court, the first hearing was seen in the file in which JINNEWS News Director Öznur Değer and former Managing Editor of Yeni Yaşam Newspaper Osman Akın are tried on the allegation of “targeting persons working in the fight against terrorism” due to a news story regarding a raid in Nusaybin; the trial was adjourned to May 21, 2026, on the grounds of remedying deficiencies.
At the Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, the second hearing of the case in which Nefes newspaper reporter Nisanur Yıldırım is tried on the charge of “insulting a public official” upon the complaint of Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy due to her news story titled “$150 million jackpot hit the minister’s company” was seen on Feb. 18. The prosecutor requested punishment; the request for time by the defendant’s lawyer against the opinion on the merits was accepted and the hearing was adjourned to June 11, 2026.
Journalist İnan Ketenciler, who was tried on the grounds that he recorded and shared with the public guard violence, was acquitted in the retrial seen after the Constitutional Court’s violation decision. The Constitutional Court ruled that Ketenciler’s freedom of expression, whose defense was undertaken by MLSA, was violated and decided on retrial.
On Feb. 20, at the İzmir 49th Criminal Court of First Instance, the first hearing of the case in which 22 human rights defenders, including Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Founders’ Board Member Günseli Kaya, are tried on the allegation of “insulting the President” was held. At the end of the hearing, four students who were tried in detention in the file were released.
Other developments
In the case in which journalist İsmail Arı was tried upon the complaint of the then Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, the acquittal decision did not change on appeal. The court ruled that there was no unlawfulness in the first instance decision.
After Akın Gürlek was appointed as Minister of Justice with the decision published in the Official Gazette on the night of Feb. 11, two separate judgments were given within five days about CHP Youth Branch Chair Cem Aydın on the charge of “insulting Gürlek.” The Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court sentenced Aydın to 1 year 5 months 15 days of imprisonment the day after the appointment decision. In the compensation case filed regarding the same post, today the Istanbul 44th Civil Court of First Instance ruled that Aydın pay 60,000 lira in non-pecuniary damages.
According to information shared during the week, the objection made against the judicial control decision in the form of “not leaving the residence” given about journalist Furkan Karabay was rejected.
In the file of ETHA reporters Nadire Gürbüz and Pınar Gayıp, it was reflected to the public that a press card fee payment was presented as if it were evidence of accusation.
Again this week, it was reported that journalist İsmail Arı gave a statement upon the complaint of Türk Telekom CEO Ebubekir Şahin.
