The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Wednesday condemned Turkish authorities for categorizing a routine press card payment as evidence in a terrorism investigation, calling it a dangerous misrepresentation of standard professional practice.
The investigation file includes a bank transfer of 350 Turkish lira ($8 at the time), made by journalist Nadiye Gürbüz on August 6, 2021, to the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS). The payment was labeled “Pınar Gayıp IFJ card fee,” referring to an application for an International Press Card (IPC) issued through the federation.
The IFJ said the card is issued at the request of its affiliates, including the TGS in Turkey, and that applicants pay a fee covering production and administrative costs. It said it “fully condemns” what it described as an attempt to portray a routine professional accreditation fee as suspicious.
“Attempts to frame ordinary union transactions as criminal acts are unacceptable. We call on the authorities to cease targeting journalists for their professional activities and to respect press freedom and due process,” Anthony Bellanger, the federation’s general secretary, said.
TGS President Gökhan Durmuş said the card is widely used by journalists in Turkey, particularly given longstanding difficulties in obtaining state-issued press credentials. He said the card facilitates reporting both inside Turkey and abroad.
Pınar Gayıp, Nadiye Gürbüz, Elif Bayburt and Müslüm Koyun, reporters for the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), were detained and later put in pretrial detention following coordinated raids on February 3 across 22 provinces. The operation was part of an investigation targeting the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) on allegations of membership in and propaganda for a terrorist organization.
Despite the explicit reference to the press card application, the transfer was reportedly listed under a section titled “money transfers to individuals facing charges of terrorism.” Gürbüz was questioned by police about why the payment had been made and on whose instruction.
Turkey is ranked 159th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, published by RSF in May 2025.
