Turkish authorities have extended the custody of Kurdish journalist Nedim Oruç, who was detained on Wednesday while covering protests in southeastern Turkey, the Mezopotamya News Agency reported.
Authorities extended Oruç’s custody by an additional day, imposed a 24-hour restriction on his access to legal counsel and issued a confidentiality order on the investigation file.
Oruç, who works for the pro-Kurdish Ajansa Welat news agency, was taken into custody while reporting on demonstrations in the Cizre district of Şırnak province, where residents were protesting attacks targeting Kurdish neighborhoods in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Press freedom groups raised concerns over both the extension of the detention and allegations that Oruç has been battered by police during his detention. DİSK Basın-İş, a press workers’ union affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), condemned the use of force against journalists and described the detention as an attack on the public’s right to information.
“The detention of journalists through violence is a direct intervention in society’s right to information,” the union said, calling for Oruç’s immediate release.
Oruç was previously detained on January 7, 2016, along with 12 other reporters, on accusations of “disseminating terrorist propaganda” and “membership in a terrorist organization.” He was acquitted of all charges in March 2017.
Turkey frequently brings terrorism-related charges against journalists and media workers, a practice that has affected reporters covering the Kurdish issue as well as other sensitive topics.
The Kurdish issue, a term prevalent in Turkey’s public discourse, refers to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
Press freedom and human rights groups say such cases often rely on reporting activity, sources or published content rather than evidence of involvement in violence and are used to deter critical coverage of sensitive topics.
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.
