Journalist Bilal Seçkin, who was represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), will not face prosecution after being investigated over alleged links to a terrorist organization. Prosecutors in the central Turkish city of Eskişehir ruled that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against Seçkin, issuing a decision of non-prosecution.
Seçkin was detained on Nov. 26, 2024, as part of an investigation launched by the Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The allegations stemmed from copyright payments he received for his journalism work, which authorities initially interpreted as financial support from a terrorist group. After being held in custody for four days, Seçkin was released under judicial control measures.
In its decision, the prosecutor’s office concluded that there was a lack of sufficient evidence to support the accusation of "membership in an armed terrorist organization," a charge frequently used in Turkey against journalists, activists and opposition figures.
The MLSA Legal Unit had previously brought the judicial control measures imposed on Seçkin before Turkey’s Constitutional Court, arguing that his rights had been violated.
Turkey has faced criticism from international rights groups over its use of anti-terror laws to prosecute journalists and civil society actors. The country ranks among the top jailers of journalists globally, according to press freedom watchdogs.
