List of arrested journalists in Turkey

Many journalists in Turkey are being prosecuted and kept in jail all over the country. Below is an extensive list of the prisoners, past and present.

List of arrested journalists

The following is an exhaustive list of arrested journalists in Turkey:

Arrested journalists in Turkey

Name	Media	Position	Date arrested	Status	Background info	Pictures
Abdulcebbar Karabeğ	Azadiya Welat	correspondent in Mersin	2010-09-26	Released on 2012-11-02	detained at the closed prison of Hatay
Abdullah Çetin	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Kurtalan	2011-12-16	Arrested	detained at the D-Type prison in Diyarbakır
Ahmet Akyol	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Adana	2011-05-09	Arrested	detained at the M-Type prison in Ceyhan, Adana
Ahmet Birsin	Gün TV	general coordinator	2009-04-14	Arrested	detained at the D-Type prison in Diyarbakır
Ali Konar	Azadiya Welat	correspondent in Elazig	2010-05-27	Arrested	detained at the E-Type prison in Malatya
Arif Çelebi				Released on 2014-05-08	detained during 7 years and 8 months
Ayşe Oyman	Özgür Gündem	editor	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakırköy, Istanbul
Aziz Tekin	Azadiya Welat	correspondent in Mardin	2012-01-29	Arrested	detained at the E-Type prison in Mardin
Bayram Namaz	Atılım	writer	2006-09-10	Released on 2014-05-08	detained during 7 years and 8 months at the F-Type prison in Edirne
Bedri Adanır	Aram Yayınları, Hawar	general director	2010-01-08	Released on 2012-11-27	detained during 689 days at the D-Type prison in Diyarbakır
Cengiz Kapmaz	Özgür Gündem	writer	2011-11-26	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Çağdaş Kaplan	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Istanbul	2011-12-20	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Davut Uçar	Etik Ajans	director	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Deniz Yıldırım			2009-11-09	Arrested
Derek Stoffel	CBC News	journalist	2013-06-12	Released on 2013-06-12
Dilşah Ercan	Azadiya Welat	correspondent in Mersin	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the M-Type prison in Ceyhan, Adana
Dilek Demiral	Özgür Gündem	journalist	2010-09-26	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakırköy, Istanbul
Erdal Süsem	Eylül	editor	2010-02-01	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Edirne
Erol Zavar	Odak	director	2007-01-20	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Sincan, Ankara
Ertuğ Bozkurt	Dicle Haber Ajansı	editor	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Fatih Özgür Aydın			2011-07-25	Arrested
Fatma Koçak	Dicle Haber Ajansı	director	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakırköy, Istanbul
Faysal Tunç	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Sirnak	2007-04-05	Arrested	detained at the L-Type prison in Kalkandere
Ferhat Çiftçi	Azadiya Welat	correspondent in Gaziantep	2011-02-16	Arrested	detained at the H-Type women prison in Gaziantep
Füsun Erdoğan	Özgür Radyo	general coordinator	2006-09-10	Released on 2014-05-08	detained during 7 years and 8 months at the T-Type prison in Kandira
Gülsen Aslan	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Batman	2012-02-20	Arrested	detained at the M-Type prison in Batman
Hakan Soytemiz			2010-09-25	Arrested
Hamit Dilbahar	Azadiya Welat	writer	2010-02-13	Arrested	detained at the E-Type prison in Erzurum
Hasan Özgüneş	Azadiya Welat	writer	2011-10-28	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Hatice Duman	Atılım	director	2003-04-01	Arrested	detained at the M-Type prison in Gebze
Hikmet Çiçek			2008-03-25	Arrested
Hüseyin Deniz	Evrensel	correspondent	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Ismail Yıldız	Dersim	director	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Kenan Karavil	Radyo Dünya	general director	2009-12-11	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kürkçüler, Adana
Kenan Kırkaya	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Ankara	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Mazlum Özdemir	Dicle Haber Ajansı	editor	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Mehmet Emin Yıldırım	Azadiya Welat	general director	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Mehmet Güneş	Türkiye Gerçeği	writer	???-??-??	Released on 2012-10-05	detained during 310 days at the F-Type Tekirdağ number 2 prison
Mehmet Haberal	Kanal B	owner	2009-04-17	Arrested
Mehmet Yeşiltepe	Devrimci Hareket	writer	2009-04-30	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Tekirdağ
Miktat Algül			2010-05-17	Arrested
Murat Aydın			2011-10-22	Arrested
Musa Kart	Yürüyüş		2012-09-18	Arrested
Mustafa Balbay	Cumhuriyet	correspondent in Ankara	2009-03-06	Arrested
Mustafa Gök	Ekmek ve Adalet	correspondent in Ankara	2004-02-01	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Sincan, Ankara
Nahide Ermiş	Demokratik Modernite	board member	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakirköy, Istanbul
Nevin Erdemir	Özgür Gündem	editor	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakirköy, Istanbul
Nilgün Yıldız	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Mardin	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakirköy, Istanbul
Nurettin Fırat	Özgür Gündem	writer	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Nuri Yeşil	Azadiya Welat	correspondent in Tunceli	2010-05-27	Arrested	detained at the E-Type prison in Elbistan
Oktay Candemir	Dicle Haber Ajansı	journalist	2011-12-24	Released on 2012-11-16	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Ömer Çelik	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Istanbul	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Ömer Çiftçi	Demokratik Modernite	owner	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Ömer Faruk Çalışkan	Özgür Halk	general director	2008-07-19	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Özlem Ağuş	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Adana	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the women prison in Karatas, Adana
Pervin Yerlikaya	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Istanbul	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type prison in Bakirköy, Istanbul
Ramazan Pekgöz	Dicle Haber Ajansı	editor	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Sadık Topaloğlu	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Urfa	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Saša Petricic	CBC News	journalist	2013-06-12	Released on 2013-06-12
Selahattin Aslan	Demokratik Modernite		2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Semiha Alankuş	Demokratik Modernite		2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Sevcan Atak	Özgür Halk	editor	2010-06-18	Arrested	detained at the women prison in Karatas, Adana
Seyithan Akyüz	Azadiya Welat	correspondent in Adana	2009-12-11	Arrested	detained at the M-Type prison in Iskenderun
Sibel Güler	Özgür Gündem	journalist	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakirköy Istanbul
Sinan Aygül	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Bitlis	2011-01-23	Released on 2012-11-07	detained at the E-Type prison in Muş
Soner Yalçın	OdaTV, Hürriyet	owner, journalist	2011-02-14	Released on 2012-12-27	detained at the L-Type prison in Silivri
Sultan Şaman	Hevîya Jinê	editor	2012-02-07	Arrested	detained at the M-Type prison in Batman
Şahabettin Demir	Dicle Haber Ajansı	correspondent in Van	2010-09-05	Arrested
Şükrü Sak	Akıncı Yol ve Baran Dergisi	general director	2010-04-26	Arrested	detained at the E-Type prison in Sivas
Tayip Temel	Azadiya Welat	writer	2011-10-08	Arrested	detained at the D-Type prison in Diyarbakir
Tuncay Özkan	ex-Kanaltürk	owner	2008-09-27	Arrested	detained at the L-Type prison in Silivri
Turabi Kişin	Özgür Gündem	editor	2012-01-02	Arrested	detained at the F-Type prison in Kandira
Turhan Özlü	Ulusal Kanal	general director	2011-10-08	Arrested	detained at the L-Type prison in Silivri
Yalçın Küçük		writer	2011-03-07	Arrested	detained at the L-Type prison in Silivri
Yüksel Genç	Özgür Gündem	writer	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakirköy, Istanbul
Zeynep Kuray	Birgün	correspondent in Istanbul	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakirköy, Istanbul
Ziya Çiçekçi	Özgür Gündem	owner	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the F-Type women prison in Kandira
Zuhal Tekiner	Dicle Haber Ajansı	owner	2011-12-24	Arrested	detained at the L-Type women prison in Bakirköy, Istanbul
Ekrem Dumanlı	Zaman Gazetesi	general director	2014-12-14	Arrested
Hidayet Karaca	Samanyolu TV	owner	2014-12-14	Arrested
Ebru Umar	Metro, Libelle	journalist, writer, columnist	2016-04-23	(Partly) released on 2016-04-24	Dutch journalist, arrested because of insulting Turkish president Erdoğan. Umar is prohibited to leave Turkey for the Netherlands awaiting further investigation.

Grounds for prosecution

Kemalist and / or nationalist journalists were arrested on charges referring to the Ergenekon case and several left-wing and Kurdish journalists were arrested on charges of engaging in propaganda for the PKK listed as a terrorist organization. The legal framework on organised crime and terrorism is still imprecise and contains definitions which are open to abuse, leading to numerous indictments and convictions. Moreover, its interpretation by prosecutors and courts is uneven and is not in line with the European Convention on Human Rights or the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, according to the European Commission. No clear distinction is made between the incitement to violence and the expression of nonviolent ideas. The application of Articles 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terror Law in combination with Articles 220 and 314 of the Turkish Criminal Code leads to abuses; in short, writing an article or making a speech can still lead to a court case and a long prison sentence for membership or leadership of a terrorist organisation. Together with possible pressure on the press by state officials and possible firing of critical journalists, this situation can lead to a widespread self-censorship. Frequent website bans are a cause for serious concern and there is a need to revise the law on the internet.

Most journalists are in prison based on the following laws:

• The Anti-Terror Law of Turkey (also known as Terörle Mücadele Yasası, TMY), Articles 5 and 7 relating to articles of the Criminal Code on terrorist offences and organizations or assisting members of or making propaganda in connection with such organizations, as well as the lengthening of sentences;
• The Criminal Code of Turkey (also known as Türk Ceza Kanunu, TCK), Article 314 on establishing, commanding or becoming member of an armed organization with the aim of committing certain offences.

3 types of journalists targeted

According to a report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Turkish authorities are engaging in widespread criminal prosecution and jailing of journalists, and are applying other forms of severe pressure to promote self-censorship in the press. The CPJ has found highly repressive laws, particularly in the penal code and anti-terror law; a criminal procedure code that greatly favors the state; and a harsh anti-press tone set at the highest levels of government. Turkey’s press freedom situation has reached a crisis point. This reports mentions 3 types of journalists targeted :

• investigative and critical reporters : victims of the anti-state prosecutions : The government’s broad inquiry into the Ergenekon plot ensnared investigative reporters. But the evidence, rather than revealing conspirators, points to a government intent on punishing critical reporters.
• Kurdish journalists : Turkish authorities conflate support for the Kurdish cause with terrorism itself. When it comes to Kurdish journalists, newsgathering activities such as fielding tips, covering protests, and conducting interviews are evidence of a crime.
• collateral damages of the general assault on the press : The authorities are waging one of the world’s biggest anti-press campaigns in recent history. Dozens of writers and editors are in prison, nearly all on terrorism or other anti-state charges.

Concerns

Concerns persisted over the rights of the defence, lengthy pre-trial detention and excessively long and catch-all indictments, leading to significantly enhanced public scrutiny of the legitimacy of these trials.

A report issued by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media describes a number of concerns concerning the case of arrested journalists in Turkey :

• Courts often impose exceptionally long imprisonment sentences. The longest conviction is 166 years and the longest jail sentence sought for a journalist is 3,000 years.
• Many journalists face double life sentences if convicted, some without possibility for parole. Courts do not tend to grant pre-trial release of defendants.
• There is concern that arrests and long pre-trial detentions without conviction are used as a form of intimidation.
• Pre-trial detentions remain very long. In some cases journalists held in prison for up to three years are still awaiting trial. Some journalists have been imprisoned for more than five years while their trial is ongoing.
• Journalists often face several trials and are often convicted for several offences. There is one journalist who faces 150 court cases.
• Media outlets reporting about sensitive issues (including terrorism or anti-government activities) are often regarded by the authorities as the publishing organs of illegal organizations. Courts often consider reporting about such issues as equal to supporting them.
• Journalists are often imprisoned in F-tipi cezaevi (F-type high security prisons), where they have to serve their time with the most dangerous criminals. It is also not uncommon to punish journalists with solitary confinement for extended time periods.

See also

• List of prosecuted Turkish writers
• Censorship in Turkey
• Human rights in Turkey
• Human rights in Europe
• International Freedom of Expression Exchange