Police in Istanbul took at least five photojournalists into custody while raiding their homes on the morning of March 24, 2025, including: Yasin Akgül of Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Ali Onur Tosun of NOW Haber, along with freelancers Bülent Kılıç, Zeynep Kuray, and Hayri Tunç. All were detained after protests that erupted following the imprisonment of Istanbul’s opposition Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in late March.
The five photojournalists were arrested by a court on March 25, but released pending trial on March 26.
The journalists faced imprisonment for up to three years on charges of violating a law on gatherings and demonstrations. In the indictment, reviewed by CPJ, prosecutors argued that the journalists were participating in an illegal meeting as protesters. Photographs in which their press credentials and cameras were not visible were submitted as evidence to support this charge.
The first part of their trial, with a total of 99 defendants, was heard by an Istanbul court on April 19. The court separated the case of the five photojournalists alongside seven other defendants from the main case. The five photojournalists were acquitted on November 27.
CPJ’s email requesting comment from the chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul did not receive a reply.