Two Turkish journalists have each received suspended sentences in separate cases over a social media post and a news report, Turkish media reported.
The İstanbul 45th Criminal Court of First Instance on November 4 handed down a 10-month suspended sentence to journalist Sedef Kabaş for “publicly disseminating misleading information.”
The charge stemmed from a post Kabaş shared on X on February 8, 2024, that cited remarks by Turkish Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan, who said, “We can expect a 150–200 percent increase in electricity and natural gas prices after the election.” In her comment Kabaş added, “You can already witness the impact before empowering.”
Kabaş was referring to a slogan used by supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: “Empower, witness the impact.” The phrase was linked to Erdoğan’s remarks on the eve of the 2018 presidential election in which he addressed economic challenges by saying, “Empower your brother [by electing me president] and you will see how to deal with interest,” referring to himself as a “brother.”
Following her tweet, Turkey’s directorate of communications said Karahan had made no such comment.
Kabaş argued that she had added her own comment to a statement that was already circulating online and did not delete it because no official correction had been issued at the time. She said she had also not seen the directorate’s clarification before tweeting.
In a separate case journalist Hakan Dirik, a reporter for the Cumhuriyet daily at the time, received a suspended 10-month sentence over a 2015 report.
Dirik had covered a press conference held by lawmakers Eren Erdem and Ali Şeker of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) who urged the government to address allegations that Turkey sent chemicals that could be used in the production sarin gas to jihadist groups in Syria.
His report included Erdem’s claim that then-justice minister Bekir Bozdağ had pressured prosecutors to drop the case. The case was launched after Bozdağ filed a complaint, arguing that Dirik had reported statements that were not actually made during the press conference.
Dirik’s lawyer said the nine-year trial was marred by violations of fair trial rights. She noted that the prosecution’s final opinion was submitted only 11 days ago, while the defense was given only nine days to respond. She also criticized the court for rejecting requests for expert analysis and witness testimony.
Turkey, which remains one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists according to press freedom organizations, was ranked 159th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
