The killing of journalist Hakan Tosun was the most shocking event in Turkey’s October press freedom landscape. Tosun, who was attacked on Oct. 10 in Istanbul, died three days later after being treated in intensive care. Hundreds marched from the Nurtepe Metro station to a cemevi — an Alevi place of worship — for his funeral. Following his death, Umut Taştan, a reporter for Halk TV investigating the murder, also received threats.
The same week, Evren Demirdaş, Elazığ correspondent for the opposition-leaning Sözcü newspaper, was assaulted by three individuals outside a municipal building. Journalist Rabia Önver filed a complaint with the Human Rights Association after receiving death threats over her coverage of ISIS and Hezbollah. Other journalists — Şule Aydın, Murat Ağırel and Timur Soykan — were also threatened by assailants on motorcycles.
Throughout October, at least eight journalists across Turkey were targeted with detention, physical attacks, threats, lawsuits or investigations.
Merdan Yanardağ, editor-in-chief of opposition broadcaster TELE1, was arrested on espionage charges. Soon after, a government-appointed trustee was installed to run the channel. By the end of the month, the entire TELE1 staff had resigned in protest. Meanwhile, the country’s media regulator RTÜK fined TELE1, Halk TV and SZC TV 3 percent of their monthly ad revenues.
Sebahattin Yum, a reporter for İhlas News Agency, was detained over a story titled “The governor gets an umbrella, the veterans don’t.” Roni Rubar İmen, a reporter for Kurdish news outlet Ajansa Welat, was briefly detained after an anonymous tip-off. Hıdır Yıldız, a reporter for the left-wing outlet Gazete Patika, was detained by police while covering Republic Day celebrations and had his phone confiscated.
Veteran journalist Fatih Altaylı appeared in court after being held in pre-trial detention for 104 days; the court ruled to extend his detention. A new investigation was launched against Mehmet Aslan, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya Agency, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization.” Another journalist from the same agency, Abdurrahman Gök, was indicted based on secret witness testimony.
Journalist Aslıhan Gençay faced both a lawsuit and an investigation over her reporting on videos allegedly linked to Turkish-Cypriot figure Halil Falyalı. Journalist Mehmet Murat Yıldırım was investigated for “insulting the president” over social media posts.
Ercüment Akdeniz, a journalist and politician, was released after eight months in pre-trial detention. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Turkey had violated the rights of journalist Burcu Özkaya Günaydın, a survivor of the 2023 earthquakes, over a conviction for “terror propaganda.” Turkey’s Constitutional Court also found rights violations in the cases of jailed journalists Nedim Türfent and Neşe İdil.
In a significant decision for press freedom, the Constitutional Court annulled the authority of the state-run Press Advertising Agency (BİK) to cut off public advertisements — a tool frequently used to penalize critical outlets. Around the same time, proposed legislation in the 11th Judicial Package, including prison terms for LGBTQ+ advocacy and reports of police violence at student protests, raised additional concerns over freedom of expression.
Across Turkey in October, at least 25 court hearings related to freedom of expression were monitored, with 41 journalists appearing before judges. Verdicts were reached in three cases: one acquittal and two convictions.
Highlights from court cases related to press freedom in October
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Ramazan Şimşek case: The High Criminal Court in Diyarbakır postponed the trial of café owner Ramazan Şimşek — who had announced he would offer service in Kurdish — until Nov. 13, 2025. He faces charges of "terrorist propaganda."
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Nazım Daştan & Cihan Bilgin commemoration case: In Istanbul, seven journalists and two politicians are on trial. The court postponed the trial to Nov. 4, 2025, allowing defendants to respond to the prosecutor’s opinion. The travel bans on the journalists were lifted.
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Nurcan Yalçın case: The High Criminal Court in Diyarbakır delayed the trial to March 3, 2026, pending clarification from the chief prosecutor’s office regarding an ongoing investigation.
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Yıldız Tar HDK case: At the High Criminal Court in Ankara, the trial began an hour late. Journalist Yıldız Tar’s defense statement was interrupted by the presiding judge. The case was postponed to Feb. 23, 2026.
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Mehmet Şah Oruç case: The High Criminal Court in Bitlis decided to investigate whether journalists Oruç had spoken with were themselves under investigation. The next hearing is on Jan. 20, 2026.
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Ahmet Kanbal case: The Criminal Court of First Instance in Adıyaman postponed journalist Kanbal’s trial for allegedly “spreading misleading information” to Jan. 16, 2026.
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Berivan Kutlu earthquake video case: A Diyarbakır court ruled the police must analyze a video allegedly shared by journalist Berivan Kutlu. The hearing was postponed to Jan. 29, 2026.
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Asuman Aranca case: Journalist Aranca received a 10-month prison sentence from an Istanbul court for “violating confidentiality” in her reporting on expert reports related to the Sinan Ateş case.
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Öznur Değer (Mardin) case: The JINNEWS news director was sentenced to 3 years, 4 months and 15 days in prison for “terrorist propaganda.”
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İsminaz Temel and Havva Cuştan case: In Istanbul, a secret witness testified via videoconference. The hearing was adjourned to March 11, 2026.
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BirGün newspaper case: Istanbul’s 23rd High Criminal Court sentenced İbrahim Aydın to 11 months and 20 days in prison, while two editors — Uğur Koç and Yaşar Gökdemir — were fined 34,400 Turkish liras.
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Perihan Kaya case: A court in Tatvan decided to wait for the execution of an arrest warrant issued for journalist Kaya.
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Rûdaw TV assault case: A man who attacked journalists from Rûdaw TV in Diyarbakır was sentenced to 7 months and 15 days in prison for threats and insults.
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Ercüment Akdeniz case: The journalist and politician was released after 243 days in detention during his second hearing in an Istanbul court.
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Ramazan Yurttapan and Haydar Ergül case: Arrest warrants remain in effect for the two journalists, who are charged with insulting the president.
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Aziz Oruç and Ersin Çaksu case: The arrest warrant for journalist Ersin Çaksu was upheld in an Istanbul court.
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Saraçhane protest trial (7 defendants): The court postponed the case to Jan. 23, 2026, allowing written defense statements from defendants accused of insulting the president during protest chants.
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Saraçhane protest trial (8 journalists, 4 lawyers): The Istanbul court rejected the defendants’ request for immediate acquittal and postponed the hearing to Nov. 27, 2025.
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Öznur Değer (Midyat) case: A court postponed her hearing to Feb. 10, 2026, due to the pending execution of an order to take her statement regarding “insulting a public official.”
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Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) students case: The Ankara court adjourned the trial of 25 students accused over the Saraçhane protests to Feb. 25, 2026, pending an expert report. Students claimed they were tortured and harassed while in custody.
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Saraçhane protest (49 defendants): Another Istanbul court postponed the trial of 49 individuals to April 10, 2026.
Court rulings and institutional responses
Following the appointment of a trustee to TELE1, press associations organized solidarity visits to the broadcaster.
The Constitutional Court issued a ruling on journalist Neşe İdil, declaring a violation of her rights following an application submitted by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
The ruling came amid growing scrutiny over freedom of the press and expression in Turkey, where journalists remain under increasing legal and physical pressure.
