Türkiye: journalists Yildiz Tar, Ender Imrek and RSF Fellow Elif Akgül must be released
The Turkish journalist Elif Akgül is in pre-trial detention in Istanbul, accused by the judiciary of being a member of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). She and İmrek were arrested in İstanbul and Tar in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Akgül is an independent journalist, former journalist of the news website bianet.org covering Turkish court cases against media professionals and freedom of expression. In the fall of 2022, she spent four months as a fellow at the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Berlin Scholarship Programme.
Elif Akgül was arrested on 18 February during raids that spanned ten provinces directed against the “People's Democratic Congress” (HDK), an umbrella organisation of pro-Kurdish and left-wing groups. According to media reports, a total of 52 people were detained. After 24 hours of being deprived contact with her lawyers under anti-terrorism legislation, Elif Akgül was later questioned about the various demonstrations she covered and her phone calls with other media professionals.
On 22 February, an Istanbul judge arrested Elif Akgül alongside Yıldız Tar, editor in chief of LGBT+ news site Kasos GL; The columnist of leftist daily Evrensel Ender İmrek, put under house arrest. While Elif Akgül was sent to the Bakirkoy Women’s Prison in Istanbul, Yıldız Tar is being held at Istanbul’s Metris Prison. If the appeal their lawyers are preparing to submit against their detention is not accepted, the journalists could remain detained for months.
“We are shocked by the arrests of Elif Akgül, Yıldız Tar and Ender İmrek. The Turkish authorities must release them immediately and stop the legal harassment of media professionals.”
Anja Osterhaus, Executive Director, RSF German Section
“These three journalists — well known for their reporting on human rights —, were arrested and obstructed from doing their job as part of a deliberate, large-scale operation launched under the guise of fighting terrorism. The wrongful charges are a clear attack on journalism. We demand the jailed journalists be released as soon as possible.”
Erol Onderoglu, Representative, RSF Türkiye.
Turkey is ranked 158th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
