BirGün correspondent İsmail Arı detained for 16 days on ‘journalism charges’

The arrest of BirGün correspondent İsmail Arı has dealt yet another blow to press freedom and democracy. Known for his reports on distortions across the country, particularly corruption and irregularities within public institutions, our correspondent has been held in Sincan Prison for 16 days on charges of "publicly disseminating misleading information."

İsmail Arı was detained on the night of Saturday, 21 March, in Tokat, where he was visiting his wife’s family, as part of an investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Brought to Ankara by police that night, Arı gave his statement at the police headquarters from Sunday morning until 20:00.

Transferred to the courthouse in the evening, Arı’s statement was not taken by the prosecutor. Instead, the prosecutor referred him to the criminal judgeship of peace with a request for his arrest. The Ankara 11th Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled for the arrest of our correspondent, claiming that “judicial measures would be insufficient.” Arı was taken to Sincan Prison on the night of Sunday, 22 March.

WHICH REPORTS WAS HE ACCUSED OF?

Arı is being accused based on several different reports and speeches.

Our correspondent was questioned about his comments on BirGün TV on 26 January regarding members of the Erdoğan family serving on the boards of 20 foundations; his speech concerning irregularities in the appointment of judges and prosecutors; his report on the prize-winning "heist" exceeding 600 million TL at the Yunus Emre Foundation; and his report regarding the disregard for historical structures at the Imam Hatip school from which Recep Tayyip Erdoğan graduated.

Following our correspondent’s report, the General Directorate of Foundations filed a criminal complaint against the Yunus Emre Institute with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on 23 December.

ARI: "YOU SHOULD BE GIVING ME A MEDAL"

İsmail Arı, during his interrogation by the police and the judgeship, emphasised that he was merely practicing journalism, stating: “It is astonishing that an investigation has been opened when the state should be awarding me a medal of appreciation.”

“I do not believe that any of these four posts shown to me warrant being held in custody for hours,” our correspondent said, adding:

“As a journalist detained on a public holiday, I want to believe in justice. I am a journalist, and I have done nothing other than my profession. The thousands of tweets posted about me while I was held in the basement cell of the police headquarters since the hour of my detention are a testament to this. Today, hundreds of citizens in Ankara and Istanbul have taken to the streets to defend press freedom, their constitutional right and to demand my immediate release. For me, that is the greatest medal of honour.”

“MY ONLY CRIME IS PRACTISING JOURNALISM”

While in custody, İsmail Arı shared a message with the public through his lawyers. In his message, Arı stated:

“I was detained because of a video from three months ago. I was taken on a holiday visit, travelled 450 km, and brought to Ankara. New tweets and old videos continue to be added to my file. I suspect they want to pad the file to ensure my arrest. They have been looking for an excuse to arrest me for the last year anyway. My only crime is practising journalism in this country. Journalism is not a crime. Stand by journalists. Best wishes...”

THE PUBLIC TAKES TO THE STREETS: FREEDOM FOR JOURNALISTS

Following the arrest of our correspondent İsmail Arı, people across the country took to the streets to show solidarity with Arı and other detained journalists, such as Merdan Yanardağ and Alican Uludağ.

The first demonstrations took place in Ankara and Istanbul on the morning after Arı’s detention. Following these two actions, citizens from Artvin to İzmir, Samsun to Mersin, and Denizli to Malatya protested his arrest.

Statements released during the protests noted: “The arrest of İsmail Arı is an attack not just on one journalist, but on the entire press. This is a clear intimidation tactic. Neither threats, nor pressure, nor arrests can prevent the truth from being written. The message sought to be sent through İsmail Arı today is clear: Do not write about corruption. Do not expose the system of rent-seeking. Make injustice invisible.”

Highlighting the pressure on journalism in the country, the statements continued: “For a long time, there has been an attempt to silence journalism in Turkey through pressure, lawsuits, detentions, and arrests. This is because, in these lands, journalism is not just a profession; it is the defence of the public’s right to know the truth. BirGün Newspaper is a part of this struggle. Since the day it was founded, it has represented a line that stands with the people, not capital; that amplifies the truth, not the darkness; and that multiplies the word, not silence.”

"THE PROCESS WAS CARRIED OUT CRUELLY"

Legal experts evaluating İsmail Arı’s arrest process described it as "cruelty."

Sharing his assessment on BirGün TV, jurist İlhan Cihaner made the following comment:

“A prosecutor referring a person to court without taking a statement is not a routine occurrence. Furthermore, there are many procedural issues. You take a person who is under police protection, whose every step is known, and go to Tokat on a holiday—wasting public resources—to fetch him. Why is something so extraordinary being done? There is no crime attributed to İsmail. The reason for the arrest is the Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM) refuting İsmail’s report. Interpreting Article 217/A, under the heading of ‘publicly disseminating misleading information,’ in this manner makes journalism effectively impossible. Which of these reports could create anxiety, fear, or panic in the public? Where is the element that disturbs public order? On the contrary, there is public benefit.”

DOES THE DMM NOW MAKE THE RULINGS?

The quarter-century-old Palace regime has turned the crime of ‘publicly disseminating misleading information’ into a convenient tool used to pressure academics, lawyers, politicians, and journalists.

Journalists who write about the government and cult circles, tender-seekers, pillaging, plunder, and decay within the state are sent to prison on the grounds of this charge. However, a situation that the public is not very accustomed to occurred in the file that led to İsmail Arı’s arrest. A report regarding the existence of registered buildings and the decision to move them to build a dormitory at the Imam Hatip High School from which AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan graduated was refuted by the Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM). The DMM, which has turned into a government-whitewashing centre that journalists and citizens do not bother with and which has no standing in society, was this time accepted by law enforcement and the court.

While it is unknown which staff members with what competence declared the report as disinformation, the questions asked at the police headquarters in Ankara included: “It is seen that there is a disinformation refutation text by the DMM regarding your post stating: ‘Historical buildings and cultural assets were disregarded at the Imam Hatip High School from which President Erdoğan graduated’; provide your defence regarding this post.”

The court, seeing no need for any research or investigation regarding the report, stated in its arrest warrant: “The decision for arrest has been made considering... the content of the post dated 11 March 2026 by the Center for Combating Disinformation.”