A Turkish court on Tuesday handed down a suspended 10-month sentence to journalist Asuman Aranca for publishing details from an expert report on the controversial murder of a Turkish far-right leader, the T24 news website reported.
The İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance convicted Aranca of “violating the confidentiality” of the investigation but suspended the sentence, meaning she will not serve time in prison unless she commits a similar offense within the next five years.
Sinan Ateş was fatally shot in Ankara on December 30, 2022. The murder sparked widespread controversy due to his role as the former head of the ultranationalist Grey Wolves, the paramilitary wing of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is allied with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The case has been marked by accusations of political interference by right-wing MHP figures who have been accused of orchestrating the murder.
Aranca’s report, which revealed that Ateş’s murder had been planned months in advance and that his address had been requested by the Grey Wolves’ then-chairman, had received three journalism awards.
Aranca and her lawyer argued that the prosecution had no authority to dictate how journalism should be conducted, emphasizing that her reporting did not violate the presumption of innocence or exceed the limits of press freedom protected under the Turkish Constitution. Her lawyer also noted that no complaint had been filed over the publication.
The Ateş murder trial has been closely watched by opposition parties and bar associations, who say it exposes deep flaws in Turkey’s justice system. They argue that investigators have shielded high-ranking MHP officials, ignored organized crime links and turned the case into a political bargaining chip in Erdoğan’s alliance with MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli.
In October 2024 the court handed down aggravated life sentences for five men including the gunman, while separating the files of lawyer Serdar Öktem and a police officer for further investigation. Öktem, accused of coordinating the İstanbul-based team that transported the shooter with Ankara-area accomplices, was shot dead in İstanbul on October 6.
According to Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, 28 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.
