Eight Turkish journalists face jail for ‘insult’ and ‘false news’ over talk show comments

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last month |  CPJ News Alert

ISTANBUL—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Turkish authorities to stop prosecuting broadcasters for commentary after five journalists were charged and three were placed under investigation, accused of either spreading false information or insulting the president in three political debate shows. 

“These cases against broadcast journalists are only the most recent in a series of unjust judicial actions meant to muzzle the press and political opposition,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “Turkish authorities should welcome critical reporting and commentary as a crucial part of a working democracy, and stop prosecuting journalists.”  

On September 23, Istanbul police took three journalists from critical broadcaster TELE1 into custody while investigating them for insulting the president in an electronic caption during a September 21 broadcast. The banner compared President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu. An Istanbul court released chief editor Merdan Yanardağ, program host Musa Özuğurlu, and programming director İhsan Demir pending investigation. TELE1 issued an apology on Monday.

Earlier this month, newspaper columnists Barış Pehlivan of the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet and Timur Soykan of the daily BirGün were charged with disseminating false information that “implicated the whole judiciary” as guests on an October 2024 talk show on pro-opposition Halk TV discussing alleged judicial corruption and politicization. 

The journalists pleaded not guilty and said their comments were based on public statements and open sources, according to news reports. They each face up to four-and-a-half years in prison if found guilty. 

They are also being separately investigated for “insulting” state institutions on the same show, Cumhuriyet reported.

Also in early September, two Halk TV journalists, Mehmet Tezkan and İbrahim Kahveci, were charged with insulting Erdoğan by comparing his actions to those of Israel in Gaza in a September 2024 Halk TV broadcast. The broadcaster’s editor-in-chief, Suat Toktaş, was also indicted.

The two pleaded not guilty and said they did not intend to insult the president. They each face up to four years and eight months in prison. Trial dates have yet to be set. 

Turkey has consistently vied with China as the world’s worst jailer of journalists in CPJ’s annual global prison census.

CPJ’s emails requesting comment from the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office and presidential communications directorate did not receive replies.

Photo caption: Timur Soykan (left) and Barış Pehlivan (right) were charged with disseminating false information that “implicated the whole judiciary” during this Halk TV talk show appearance. (Screenshot: Halk TV/YouTube)