Istanbul police took freelancer Zeynep Kuray into custody along with Yasin Akgül of Agence France-Presse (AFP), Ali Onur Tosun of NOW Haber, and freelancers Bülent Kılıç and Hayri Tunç following March 24, 2025 raids on their homes. All of the journalists had covered the protests that erupted following the imprisonment of Istanbul’s opposition Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in late March 2025. A court released the journalists pending trial on March 26, 2025.
The journalists face up to three years in jail on charges of violating the 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 journalists deny the claims.
The first hearing 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.
CPJ’s email requesting comment from the chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul did not receive a reply.