Three journalists detained over video footage filmed near İncirlik Air Base in southern Turkey have been released under judicial supervision, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
An Adana court ordered the release of Anka News Agency editor-in-chief Kenan Şener, Koza TV reporter Sergen Ölçer and Koza TV general manager Mehlika Bilen, imposing a weekly reporting requirement and a travel ban.
Adana Metropolitan Municipality employee Güral Bıçakçı was also released under the same conditions.
The journalists were detained after recording footage near İncirlik Air Base, a major facility that hosts US troops in Adana, as Israel and the United States began striking Iran on Saturday.
Iran later launched missile attacks on Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases, escalating tensions across the region.
Press freedom organizations strongly criticized the detentions.
The International Press Institute (IPI), a global media freedom network, said it “strongly condemns the detention” of the journalists over their filming near İncirlik Air Base.
“Journalism, especially in times of crisis, serves the public interest and must not be criminalized,” IPI said in a statement posted on X.
Veteran journalist Şebnem Arsu also criticized the move, saying live broadcasts from İncirlik had been aired for years during previous crises.
“For years, we watched İncirlik base live on news TVs at times of crises,” Arsu wrote on X.
“In case the outlet had missed any sensitivities on the ground, it could have been easily warned to stop, and it would have in an instant. Detentions are a totally unnecessary, heavy-handed approach, experts say.”
The Turkish Journalists’ Union (TGS) had earlier called for their immediate release, saying it was unacceptable for journalists to be detained while covering developments closely tied to a regional conflict.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the detentions were linked to alleged violations of Turkey’s law on restricted military and security zones.
Following a complaint, Anka halted the broadcast and removed the footage from its website. The agency later apologized, saying it regretted “misunderstandings” caused by its social media posts and live coverage, which it described as part of its journalistic work.
Turkey also hosts a NATO early-warning radar system at the Kürecik base in Malatya province capable of detecting missile launches from Iran. Ankara has repeatedly denied that radar data has been used to assist Israel, though Iranian officials have criticized the radar’s presence in Turkey.
Turkey, which has been suffering from a poor record in the freedom of the press for years, ranked 159th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
