Press freedom in Turkey continued to deteriorate in November, with journalists facing detentions, threats and lengthy sentences despite scant evidence, according to a monthly report by the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG).
The watchdog said nine journalists were detained during the month, 79 stood trial and 15 received suspended sentences amounting in total to more than 15 years. One journalist reported ill-treatment, while four others said they received threats.
The report also documented economic pressure on members of the media, with 91 journalists losing their jobs, including 32 that were fired from the pro-opposition TELE 1 TV station by a government-appointed trustee.
DFG further noted that Turkey’s broadcasting regulator, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), imposed fines on five TV stations, while authorities blocked access to nine news websites, one news report and 2,061 social media posts.
During the month veteran journalists Yavuz Oğhan, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Soner Yalçın, Batuhan Çolak, and Şaban Sevinç and Ruşen Çakır were summoned to provide statements on allegations of “publicly spreading false information” and “aiding a criminal organization” in connection with reporting on what prosecutors describe as the “İmamoğlu profit-driven criminal organization,” a reference to Istanbul’s jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
İmamoğlu, a senior member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and considered to be the strongest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was detained on March 19 along with dozens of İstanbul city officials. He was named his party’s presidential candidate in March for the next general election scheduled for 2028.
His detention sparked widespread protests — the largest in Turkey since 2013. During the demonstrations nearly 2,000 people, including teenagers, students, lawyers, journalists, union leaders and human rights defenders, were detained nationwide. İmamoğlu was arrested days later, on March 23, on corruption charges.
The report also mentioned a joint indictment filed against pro-Kurdish JINNEWS agency editor Öznur Değer and Osman Akın, the former editor-in-chief of the Yeni Yaşam daily. The charges stem from their reporting on torture allegations following a gendarmerie raid on a house in the Eskihisar neighborhood of southeastern Mardin province in July 2024.
According to Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, 26 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey. The country’s deteriorating media landscape was further pointed out in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where it was ranked 159th out of 180 nations.
