An objection has been filed against the detention of ETHA reporter Pınar Gayıp, whose legal defense is undertaken by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), following 76 days in custody. In the petition submitted by MLSA’s Legal Unit to the on-duty Criminal Judgeship of Peace in Istanbul on April 20, 2026, it was stated that the detention decision is unlawful both procedurally and in substance.
Gayıp has been held in detention since Feb. 5, 2026, on charges of “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and “making terrorist propaganda.” After the Istanbul 37th Criminal Court of First Instance definitively rejected their objection with its April 6, 2026 ruling, the journalist’s lawyers prepared a new objection petition. Gayıp is being held at Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison in Istanbul.
Key allegations in the file: Routine journalism
According to MLSA’s Legal Unit, a significant portion of the questions directed at Gayıp consist of journalistic activities such as working at ETHA, monitoring hearings, following funerals, conducting interviews and communicating with news centers. The journalist’s attendance at the funeral of Emine Ocak, a symbolic figure of the Saturday Mothers/People, being seen with a camera around her neck, and even money transfers at the level of 100 Turkish lira were made subjects of the investigation.
What does the objection petition say?
The defense petition emphasized that it finds the detention decision unlawful on four main grounds: the failure to present strong criminal suspicion with individualized concrete evidence; the inability of risks of flight and tampering with evidence to go beyond abstract formulas; the lack of discussion on why judicial control measures would be insufficient; and the decision being based on stereotyped expressions and non-individualized reasoning.
The petition also stated that interpreting the journalist’s daily professional activities as criminal suspicion creates a chilling effect on press freedom: “If a journalist’s going to the courthouse, asking about a hearing date, following a funeral or commemoration, or taking field footage can later be interpreted as ‘organizational activity,’ the practical area of use of press freedom disappears.”
As a primary request, the petition demands Gayıp’s immediate release; if the court rejects this, it requests her release under judicial control measures such as a ban on leaving the country and a signature obligation.
Objection also to the confidentiality order
With a second petition submitted on the same date, an objection was also filed against the confidentiality order issued by the Istanbul 12th Criminal Judgeship of Peace on Jan. 13, 2026. According to this decision, lawyers have not been able to fully access the case file for more than two months. The defense argues that applying this restriction to the “entire file” with abstract justifications violates the principle of proportionality and effectively renders Gayıp’s right to an effective defense unusable.
During her questioning before the judgeship, Pınar Gayıp rejected all charges and emphasized that all activities in the file fall within the scope of her professional routine.
