Suat Toktaş, editor-in-chief for the critical Turkish broadcaster Halk TV, was taken into custody by Istanbul police on January 29, 2025, and the next day a court placed him under arrest pending trial.
Authorities charged Toktaş and four other Halk TV staffers with attempting to influence the judiciary, violating the privacy of a conversation regarding interviewing an expert witness used in municipal investigations, and of being biased by the opposition.
An Istanbul court on March 4 acquitted Toktaş, along with four other defendants, of the influence charge and ordered the release of the journalist. The court didn't decide on the charges related to the violation of privacy due to procedural reasons or of bias if there was a charge related to that?. The prosecution said they will appeal the verdict.
CPJ’s email to Istanbul’s chief prosecutor did not receive a response.