The European Parliament has released its 2025 progress report on Turkey, strongly criticizing ongoing pressure on journalists and the judiciary. The report specifically names three journalists—Ender İmrek, Yıldız Tar, and Elif Akgül—who were arrested in February during a wide-scale operation targeting the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK). The report condemns the repression of press freedom in Turkey and states that these journalists were targeted for their work in the field of human rights.
In the relevant section, the report notes: “...journalists Elif Akgül, an independent journalist; Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief of Kaos GL; and Ender İmrek, a columnist for Evrensel newspaper—these individuals, known for their work in human rights, were detained and prosecuted on politically motivated grounds.”
The report situates these cases within a broader climate of repression in Turkey. It also references ongoing prosecutions of other media figures, including Suat Toktaş, editor-in-chief of Halk TV, as well as journalists Seda Selek, Barış Pehlivan, Serhan Asker, and Kürşad Oğuz. Although some of these journalists were temporarily acquitted, the report expresses concern over the continuation of criminal proceedings.
The document also highlights the involvement of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek in many of these politically sensitive cases, noting his previous role in high-profile trials against opposition figures. The report suggests that Gürlek could potentially be considered for measures under the European Union’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
Killings of Kurdish journalists in Syria
The report further criticizes Turkish authorities for targeting the Istanbul Bar Association’s leadership after it called for an investigation into the killings of two Kurdish journalists in Syria. Members of the bar faced charges of “terrorist propaganda” and “spreading false information,” and one was arrested upon returning from Strasbourg, where they had met with Council of Europe officials. The European Parliament cites this as an example of the instrumentalization of law in Turkey.
Can Atalay and the failure to implement top court rulings
The report also includes strong criticism of Turkey's broader human rights climate, citing the government's failure to implement Constitutional Court decisions. It specifically points to the case of opposition MP Can Atalay, whose release order by Turkey’s top court was ignored. Another cited example is the Court of Cassation’s decision to overturn the convictions of ISIS members involved in the 2016 attack on Istanbul Atatürk Airport, which the report describes as a “serious legal crisis.”
The European Parliament calls on the Turkish government to carry out genuine and structural judicial reform. It criticizes current reform strategies as superficial and emphasizes that ending political interference in the judiciary is not a matter of policy strategy but of political will.
You can find the full report at the European Parliament's website.
