Turkish prosecutors have filed criminal charges against three senior editors of the independent BirGün newspaper, alleging they insulted and endangered a top judicial figure in a news report, further fueling concerns over press freedom in the country, according to the Bianet news website.
The charges stem from a February 7 report titled “Pro-government Sabah visits Akın Gürlek at his office,” which covered a visit by the pro-government Sabah newspaper to İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek.
Following the article’s publication on birgun.net, BirGün board chair İbrahim Aydın, publication coordinator Uğur Koç and Editor-in-Chief Yaşar Gökdemir were detained, on February 8.
Prosecutors argue that the article used language intended to humiliate Gürlek and went beyond the limits of press freedom, noting the article referenced opposition criticism calling Gürlek a “mobile guillotine,” a reference to his role in fast-tracking politically charged cases.
Authorities claim this label, combined with the article’s tone, could incite extremist groups to view Gürlek as a legitimate target. Because Gürlek has overseen high-profile terrorism trials and was previously threatened by outlawed groups, prosecutors contend the reporting effectively made him a marked figure in the eyes of hostile actors.
A former deputy justice minister and judge, Gürlek has been accused by opponents of going after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rivals through a series of cases launched since he was appointed to the post in October.
Chief among these is the case against İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Erdoğan’s leading electoral rival, whose arrest in March on contested corruption charges sparked weeks of angry street protests.
Since Gürlek’s appointment, eight Republican People’s Party (CHP) district mayors in Istanbul have also been arrested and jailed, most of them on corruption charges that they deny. The indictment also seeks to bar the defendants from certain civil rights under Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code, which could include voting restrictions and public office bans.
The case underscores the precarious state of press freedom in Turkey, where critical reporting on the judiciary and government can lead to criminal charges.
Turkey, which is known as one of the top jailers of journalists in the world, ranks 159th among 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2025 World Press Freedom Index. The report cites ongoing censorship, politically motivated arrests and state control over media as key factors in the country’s continued decline in press freedom.
