Alican Uludağ, a court reporter for the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, was detained on the evening of February 19, 2026 by police, who raided his house in Ankara. He was transferred to Istanbul, where the next day a court arrested him pending trial. The journalist was imprisoned on the suspicion of “insulting” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan because of several posts on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Uludağ denied any wrongdoing in his testimony to the arresting court and said: “If we cannot criticize the judiciary, members of the judiciary, [and] the president of the country, why are we practicing journalism?”
Uludağ is also being investigated for spreading disinformation and demeaning state institutions, and could also be charged for those alongside the insult accusation, according to court documents CPJ reviewed. The social media posts included as evidence by the prosecution are critical of the president and his policies. A court date will be set after an indictment is written with formal charges.
A lawyer for Uludağ said the arrest was unlawful and that his client should not be prosecuted. He also said the journalist should not be imprisoned in Istanbul, as he resides in Ankara. He is being held at Silivri Prison in Istanbul.
Lawyers for Uludağ said in early March that their appeal of his arrest had been rejected by an Istanbul court, and that they will approach Turkey’s Constitutional Court regarding the matter On March 17, after an Istanbul court extended his detention, Uludağ said in a letter from prison that he had been denied his right to a defense.
CPJ’s emailed request for comment from the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office in February 2026 did not receive a reply.