İsmail Arı, an Ankara-based reporter for the leftist daily BirGün, was taken into custody on March 21, 2026, in the northern province of Tokat, where he was visiting family. He was taken to Ankara, the capital, the next day and arrested by a court, pending trial on the suspicion of publicly spreading disinformation. Arı was questioned about his work by Ankara police for hours, BirGün reported.
In a message Arı released via his lawyers while in custody, he said his social media posts and videos were being used as evidence against him. “My only crime is practicing journalism in this country,” said Arı, whose X account had around 180,000 followers at the time of his detention. “Journalism is not a crime.”
Arı’s reporting on allegedly unlawful construction work at a cultural heritage location in Istanbul led to his arrest, according to BirGün. He was being held at Sincan prison in Ankara awaiting trial.
CPJ emailed Turkey’s justice ministry for comment in March 2026 but did not receive any reply.