Fourteen journalists have been arrested in Turkey since the start of the year, press freedom groups said Wednesday, condemning what they described as an escalating crackdown on independent media.
According to the Bianet news website, representatives from multiple press organizations gathered in front of Halk TV’s Ankara bureau to protest the detention of journalists Barış Pehlivan, Serhan Asker and Seda Selek, who were taken into custody over their reporting.
The demonstration was organized by the Press Council, the Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD), the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS) and the Parliament Reporters Association (PMD), among others.
“We have been closely observing how judicial institutions are being used as a tool to suppress the press,” said Sinan Tartanoğlu, Ankara representative of the TGS, who read a joint statement on behalf of the press organizations. “Not only is the public’s right to access information being stripped away, but freedom of thought and expression are also being systematically eroded.”
The detentions of Pehlivan, Asker and Selek are part of a broader wave of suppression of the media, Tartanoğlu said, noting that 14 journalists have been arrested this month alone. He described the detentions as “not just an operation, but a wave of oppression.”
“The threat of investigation or detention looms over journalists simply for doing their jobs,” he added. “This is not just an attack on the press, but a dire warning for all of society.”
The press groups accused government institutions, including the judiciary, of being used to intimidate journalists instead of upholding press freedom. They warned that democracy cannot function if journalists cannot work freely.
“If journalists cannot report without fear, it is not just their loss but the entire public’s loss,” Tartanoğlu said. “Press freedom is not just a right for journalists, but for everyone. Silencing the media means silencing democracy.”
ÇGD President Kıvanç El called for solidarity, urging the public to defend their right to access news. “We must stand together against these pressures,” he said.
Turgut Dedeoğlu, president of the Press Workers Union (DİSK Basın-İş), highlighted the broader crackdown, noting that 38 journalists are currently behind bars.
“This is not the time to criticize journalists — it is the time to support them,” he said. “Journalism is not a crime.”
Journalists Guild Secretary-General Kenan Şener denounced the detentions, saying they are a direct attack on democracy.
“These journalists have spent their careers in courthouses, seeking to inform the public. Now they are being criminalized for doing their jobs,” he said.
Press organizations called for the immediate release of detained journalists and an end to what they described as increasing pressure on the media.
“The barriers preventing journalists from doing their jobs must be removed, and those behind bars must be freed,” Şener said.
The arrests come amid mounting concerns over freedom of the press in Turkey, where journalists face growing legal threats, imprisonment and censorship.
Turkey 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).