Slaughter of journalism
As the assaults of the one-man regime on press and expression freedom keep escalating, journalists continue their struggle against arrests, attacks and unemployment. Journalists will appear before the court again today.
News Centre
Journalists in the country continue to do their work under harsh conditions. Those arrested confront courthouse corridors, those outside face attacks and the imposition of unemployment.
At the second hearing held yesterday regarding the armed attack on Evrensel’s İzmir Office on 13 August, the attacker İsa Can Biler was released. With this decision there are now no detained defendants in the case. After the hearing, readers and representatives of mass organisations who came to show solidarity with Evrensel made a statement.
The newspaper’s İzmir Representative Özer Akdemir said that the footage, evidence and HTS records indicate that the attack was planned, adding, “We know very well that there are people behind this person. We are talking about İzmir capital and a mafia-linked structure. These must be exposed.”
Lawyer Devrim Avcı said that opposition journalists rapidly face lawsuits because of the reports they write or the criticisms they voice, adding, “We expect the same sensitivity in the attack against Evrensel. Because this incident is an open warning not only against one newspaper but against all opposition media.”
100 DAYS TO WALK FREE
Evrensel’s Editor-in-Chief Hakkı Özdal reacted to the decision, saying, "A full magazine of bullets was fired at our İzmir office on the night of 13 August. The next day we collected the casings from the inner stairs. Someone inside could have died. There was not even a proper crime scene investigation. Then no effective investigation was conducted. The instigators of the hitman, who only repeats the memorised words ‘I was drunk I don’t remember I did not target the newspaper I fired at random’, were not investigated. The investigation was not widened in this direction. Now the hitman has also been released. Journalists are imprisoned for months or years, those who spray bullets on a newspaper to kill walk free in 100 days" he said.
‘NOT LEGAL BUT POLITICAL’
Journalist Fatih Altaylı, who received a prison sentence of 4 years 2 months in the case where he was accused of ‘threatening’ AKP Leader and President Erdoğan, returned to his YouTube programme which he had paused due to health issues. Altaylı underlined that the decision against him is political not legal and said that his only sadness is the continuation of his detention on the grounds of flight risk.
200 DAYS IN PRISON
Journalist Furkan Karabay, who was arrested on 15 May on the grounds of statements in a YouTube channel and social media posts, facing the charges of "insulting the President" and "targeting persons involved in counterterrorism", will appear before the court for the first time today.
In the indictment prepared by the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it is requested that Karabay be punished for “publicly insulting the President, repeatedly targeting persons involved in counterterrorism, insulting a public official due to their duty”.
Because of these charges between about 6 and 15 years of imprisonment is requested for Karabay.
In the indictment AKP Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, İstanbul Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Can Tuncay, Public Prosecutor Ahmet Şahin and Judge Hatice Kozan are listed as ‘victims’.
Karabay’s trial will be held today at 10.30 at İstanbul 25th High Criminal Court. Karabay will appear before the judge on the 201st day of his detention.
DISMISSALS AT SÖZCÜ
At Sözcü TV, which began broadcasting on 1 March 2023, at least 14 employees including Editor-in-Chief Özgür Çakmakçı were dismissed. This major purge took place after the claim emerged that Yılmaz Özdil would become Editor-in-Chief of Sözcü TV. The Contemporary Journalists Association said, "We experienced the sadness of dozens of our colleagues losing their jobs at EKOL TV, then many journalist friends at Nefes and YeniŞafak newspapers. This grave picture deepened with the trustee coup against TELE1. Now we find it unacceptable that at least 15 of our colleagues at Sözcü TV are dismissed with no justification and we condemn it. We call on the Sözcü TV management to reconsider this wrong decision" they said.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Gazetecilik kıyımı, published in BirGün newspaper on December 2, 2025.
