A coalition of international press freedom organizations, led by the International Press Institute (IPI), is calling on Turkish authorities to halt what they describe as an escalating crackdown on independent journalism.
The appeal comes amid a surge in arrests, detentions and legal action against journalists in the first month of 2025, raising concerns about the state of press freedom and democratic discourse in Turkey.
According to IPI, in January 2025 alone at least nine journalists were arrested, six were sentenced to prison, five were detained, 23 faced investigations and one encountered police obstruction. The organization condemned what it called a pattern of arbitrary detentions and judicial control measures aimed at silencing critical voices.
“The frequent use of arrests, investigations, and convictions against journalists represents an existential threat to independent media and democratic discourse in Turkey,” the IPI and its partners said in a joint statement. “The Turkish government must align its practices with international standards and its own constitutional guarantees on press freedom.”
Among the most alarming cases cited by IPI and its partners is the January 17 detention of six journalists — Reyhan Hacıoğlu, Necla Demir, Rahime Karvar, Vedat Örüç, Velat Ekin and Ahmet Güneş, who were held without access to legal representation. Five of them remain in custody, while Güneş was released on February 4. Authorities have not provided clear justification for their arrest beyond their journalistic activities.
Other journalists have faced legal threats for covering politically sensitive topics. On January 2 Turkish authorities launched an investigation into journalist Aslıhan Gençay over her reporting on corruption in Hatay, blocking access to her article and charging her under Turkey’s controversial disinformation law.
In another case, on January 28 T24 columnist Şirin Payzın was placed under investigation for alleged “terrorist propaganda” over social media posts — a move that watchdogs say is indicative of growing online surveillance and criminalization of dissent.
Along with arrests and investigations, Turkey’s media regulator, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), has been accused of targeting critical outlets with punitive fines and broadcast bans. In 2024 alone RTÜK imposed 24 bans and issued fines amounting to approximately $2.3 million, largely against media critical of the government.
The latest incident came in the wake of a deadly hotel fire in Bolu on January 20 that claimed 78 lives. Following the disaster, RTÜK warned media outlets to rely solely on official sources, and shortly thereafter, a court imposed a ban on coverage of the incident.
IPI and its partner organizations argue that such restrictions hinder independent journalism and deny the public access to crucial information.
While Turkey has seen a slight reduction in the number of journalists imprisoned, rights groups say this is misleading. Instead, authorities have increasingly relied on judicial control measures — including travel bans, house arrests and mandatory police check-ins — as alternative means of restricting journalists’ freedom.
“Judicial control measures, originally meant as temporary legal safeguards, are now being weaponized to create a chilling effect on press freedom,” the IPI statement warned.
The organizations are calling on Turkish authorities to end the arbitrary detention of journalists, lift restrictive measures on media and uphold press freedoms as enshrined in both Turkish law and international human rights agreements.
The statement was signed by more than 40 press freedom and human rights groups, including the European Federation of Journalists, Freedom House, PEN International and the Southeast Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO).
Turkey has long been criticized for its press freedom record. The country is one of the world’s biggest jailers of professional journalists and was ranked 158th among 180 countries in terms of press freedom in 2024, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).