İsmail Saymaz, a reporter, columnist, author and TV commentator who is currently employed by the independent broadcaster and daily newspaper Sözcü, is under house arrest pending investigation into his reporting on an investment fund scandal.
As of October 19, 2026, no date had been set for his trial.
On October 9, 2026, Turkish police questioned Saymaz and three others - Mustafa Balcı from Sözcü, freelancer Şaban Sevinç, and Murat Ağırel, who works for the independent Cumhuriyet and Onlar news outlets - about their reporting on a recent investment fund scandal.
Later that same day, an Istanbul court arrested Balcı and Sevinç on suspicion of “publicly spreading disinformation.” Saymaz and Ağırel, who were released after questioning on October 9 under judicial control – meaning a foreign travel ban and regular check-ins with the police – were placed under house arrest on October 10, 2026, after the prosecution lodged an objection to their releases.
CPJ emailed the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for comment in October 2026 but did not receive a reply.
Previous case
Saymaz was previously placed under house arrest after he was taken into custody by Istanbul police during a raid on his home on March 19, 2025.
A court placed him under house arrest on March 21, 2025, on the charge of “assisting an attempt to overthrow the government” for reporting on the 2013 civil unrest triggered by plans to redevelop Istanbul’s Gezi Park. During anti-government protests, which spread to other cities in Turkey, several people were killed and thousands injured.
A lawyer representing Saymaz at the time of his arrest in 2025 said the journalist was questioned in custody about his journalism, contacts, and social media activity while reporting on the Gezi protests, including his communication with some of those found guilty of organizing the protests.
Saymaz was released from house arrest on May 16, 2025, by a court order and banned from traveling abroad while under judicial control, which requires regular check-ins at a police station.
Saymaz told CPJ in October 2026 that the 2025 investigation remains open.