Turkey court acquits four journalists after Istanbul protest coverage

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 1 hour ago |  JP Middle East Desk

A court in Istanbul cleared four journalists detained during mass protests earlier this year, underscoring fragile protections for press freedom in Turkey.

Summary

ISTANBUL — A Turkish court on November 27 acquitted four journalists who had been charged with participating in an unlawful demonstration while covering major protests in Istanbul earlier this year. The defendants included photographer Yasin Akgul from Agence France-Presse and three local media workers, Ali Onur Tosun of broadcaster NOW Haber and freelancers Bulent Kilic and Zeynep Kuray. The court found no evidence that they committed any offence under Turkiye’s Law 2911 on meetings and demonstrations.

In March, the journalists were arrested in pre-dawn raids when widespread protests erupted in response to the detention of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, a controversial move that triggered massive demonstrations. Authorities accused many participants and bystanders of violating the law on public gatherings, a charge extended to media covering the protests. The arrests triggered condemnation from international press-freedom organisations.

Court verdict vs reactions

The judge declared that there was “no solid basis” for the alleged offence, and ordered the acquittal of all four defendants. AFP welcomed the ruling, with its global news director calling the prosecution “baseless” and urging that journalists be allowed to cover demonstrations unhindered. The media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the case had been “unlawful,” and described the acquittal as a partial vindication, while warning the original arrests had likely been aimed at obstructing public access to information.

Implications for media and press freedom

The verdict offers a narrow legal victory for media rights in Türkiye, but it also underscores how easily reporting on protests can be criminalised under public-order laws. Journalists and news organisations are reminded that covering demonstrations remains legally precarious: the state may treat media presence as participation. The case could deter other outlets from dispatching reporters to protests, especially freelancers or small-scale reporters, weakening on-the-ground coverage of civil unrest.

This acquittal does not guarantee long-term protection for press freedom in Türkiye. Given the regular use of restrictive legislation to police assemblies, newsrooms should strengthen legal risk mitigation for reporters, clearly mark credentials in the field, and coordinate with rights organisations to monitor and respond to similar cases in the future.

KEY POINTS:

• A court in Istanbul acquitted four journalists detained after covering mass protests earlier in 2025
• Defendants included AFP photographer Yasin Akgul plus three local reporters/freelancers accused under Türkiye’s demonstration law
• The judge found no evidence that they committed any offence under the law on public gatherings
• AFP and RSF welcomed the verdict as a defence of press freedom and condemned the original arrests as unlawful
• The case underscores the risk journalists face when covering protests and may discourage future coverage of civil unrest

ATTRIBUTION: Reporting draws on court verdict and media-agency accounts from Al Jazeera, Turkish Minute, and AFP via Reuters.

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only.