A Turkish court on Friday began the trial of journalist Mahir Bağış on charges of insult and disseminating disinformation in a report on expenditures made by a governor appointed as a trustee to the Batman Municipality.
Bağış faces charges of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility,” “publicly spreading misleading information” and “insult” in his trial at the Ankara Batı 15th Criminal Court of First Instance, according to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
Bağış has denied the accusations, saying his report constituted journalistic activity.
The case stems from Bağış’s report on July 11, 2025, on expenditures made by Governor Ekrem Canalp, trustee of the Batman Municipality since November 2024. The report alleged that Canalp had work worth more than 19 million lira (about $422,000) carried out by a local businessman, Hakkı Şahin, without payment.
Unable to collect the money from the municipality, Şahin’s company was subject to debt enforcement proceedings. He was also reportedly threatened over the unpaid debt and said he no longer felt safe in Batman.
Canalp filed a criminal complaint following the publication of the report.
The Turkish government has frequently removed and detained elected mayors as part of its crackdown on the opposition. It has targeted the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on the grounds of corruption investigations, while pro-Kurdish parties have faced accusations of links to terrorist organizations. This practice intensified following a coup attempt in 2016, after which numerous mayors were replaced by government-appointed trustees. Critics say these actions undermine local democracy and are aimed at weakening political opposition.
According to Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, 27 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.
