Journalist Derya Okatan arrested in Turkey for allegedly possessing classified material
Istanbul, October 6, 2026—Turkish authorities must immediately release journalist Derya Okatan and stop an escalating press crackdown that in this case involves imprisoning a veteran reporter based on flimsy evidence, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Okatan, who most recently worked for independent broadcaster TELE1 before it was taken over by the government, was…
Inside Turkey’s Lawfare: How Turkey uses its disinformation law against journalists
Istanbul, October 5, 2026—Turkish authorities have weaponized the country’s disinformation law to stifle independent reporting by repeatedly detaining and arresting journalists on charges of spreading false information based on the vague tenets of this poorly conceived legislation. This tactic fits into a global pattern of using legal systems and institutions to criminalize legitimate journalism and…
Turkey arrests 2 more journalists as authorities ramp up use of disinformation law to silence the press
Istanbul, September 29, 2026—Turkey is blatantly using its disinformation law to detain and arrest journalists, with two more reporters arrested in recent days. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls urgently on authorities to repeal this poorly conceived legislation and release all those unjustly held. Ali Tarakçı, a journalist who broadcasts on YouTube, was arrested on…
Turkey must release journalist Ahmet Polad following his transfer from Syria after months of captivity
New York, September 18, 2026–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Turkish authorities to immediately release Ahmet Polad, a Kurdish-Turkish journalist who was transferred to Turkey this month after nearly eight months of enforced disappearance in Syria and is reported to be in extremely poor health. Polad’s lawyer, Özlem Gümüştaş, told CPJ on Friday that…
Turkey must drop charges against 3 ETHA journalists, including jailed editor Nadiye Gürbüz
Istanbul, September 17, 2026—Journalist Nadiye Gürbüz, who went on trial in Istanbul this week after spending more than seven months behind bars, must be freed immediately and Turkish authorities must stop abusing anti-terrorism laws to prevent journalists from doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. Gürbüz, an editor at the socialist…
Journalist Tuğba Tekerek arrested in Turkey for ‘obscenity’ during LGBTQ+ crackdown
Istanbul, September 16, 2026—Turkish authorities must immediately release freelance journalist Tuğba Tekerek and stop jailing, detaining and intimidating reporters for simply doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Police in Istanbul took Tekerek into custody late on September 13 during a sweeping crackdown against the LGBTQ+ community, which saw dozens of activists…
Turkey arrests journalist Selahattin Günday over 2011 report
Istanbul, September 15, 2026—Turkish authorities must release arrested journalist Selahattin Günday without delay and stop abusing the country’s laws to harass journalists and prevent them from doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Günday, a former broadcast reporter for the now closed Doğan News Agency (DHA), was taken into custody by Istanbul…
Journalist Oya Lale Arslan arrested in Turkey on suspicion of ‘spreading disinformation’
Istanbul, September 8, 2026—Turkish authorities must immediately release arrested journalist Oya Lale Arslan and stop weaponizing the law against independent media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. Arslan, a freelance journalist with over 118,000 followers on X and 151,000 on YouTube where she posts under the name Lale Özan Arslan, was detained on…
Journalist İrem Delice arrested in Turkey on suspicion of ‘spreading disinformation’
Istanbul, September 2, 2026—Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist İrem Delice, who was arrested on August 28 on suspicion of “spreading disinformation,” and repeal the disinformation law, which is being used all too often to criminalise journalism and silence reporting in Turkey, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Delice and three other staff members from…
CPJ, partners condemn multiple journalist arrests in Turkey, demand their release
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 26 other press freedom and human rights organizations Wednesday in condemning the detentions and arrests of at least 11 journalists in the past two weeks leading up to the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8. “The targeting of critical journalists also cannot be viewed in isolation,” the statement…