Mehmet Yetim, editor-in-chief of the local broadcaster Kulis TV, in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, was taken intocustody by the police in the early hours of April 18, 2026. On April 19, he was arrested by a court, pending trial on suspicion of “publicly spreading disinformation.” By early May, he had yet to be indicted and formally charged for a court date to be set.
İbrahim Halil Aydın, a lawyer for Yetim, told CPJ that his client and his outlet had reported on an incident at a school in which he alleged people were wounded, although it turned out that no one had been hurt. While the outlet corrected the report afterward, screenshots of Yetim’s original post circulated on social media, leading to the journalist’s arrest, Aydın said.
The lawyer, who filed an appeal to have Yetim’s arrest rescinded, also told CPJ that even if his client is found guilty and given the maximum penalty of three years, he would not serve a day of his prison sentence because such a sentence for a convict with no prior criminal record means automatic parole.
CPJ emailed the Şanlıurfa chief public prosecutor’s office for comment but did not receive a reply.