Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into journalist İsmail Arı over his reporting on the appointment of the daughter Ebubekir Şahin, CEO of Türk Telekom and former head of Turkey’s broadcast regulator, through an exceptional civil service provision that doesn’t require a competitive exam, the Birgün daily reported.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated the probe following a complaint filed by Şahin, who accused Arı of “insult.”
Şahin previously served as head of Turkey’s broadcasting and streaming authority, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), after being appointed to its board from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). During his tenure, the authority had imposed fines and temporary broadcasting bans on several pro-opposition media outlets, sparking criticism from rights groups.
In a report published on January 31, Arı said Şahin’s daughter, Zeynep Melike Şahin, had been appointed to the Turkish Competition Authority under an exceptional provision in the civil service law that allows certain positions to be filled without a competitive examination.
Access to Arı’s report was later blocked at Şahin’s request. In a post on X, Arı said both the access ban and the investigation had proceeded “at lightning speed,” adding, “If he could, he would have me executed,” Arı wrote.
In his statement to prosecutors, Arı said Şahin is a public figure and that the appointment of his daughter without taking the KPSS examination was a matter of public interest. He maintained that his article constituted legitimate journalistic activity and did not amount to a crime.
Arı was previously indicted on charges of “insult,” “defamation” and “public dissemination of misleading information” in connection with an August 30 article questioning why no investigation had been launched into payments made by RTÜK to the companies that had allegedly received funds from the government-affiliated Yunus Emre Foundation through fake invoices.
According to Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, 33 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey. The country’s deteriorating media landscape was also highlighted in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which ranked Turkey 159th out of 180 nations.
