loading . . . Turkey continues to jail dozens of journalists as pressure on media deepens Turkey continued to imprison journalists on a large scale in 2025, sentencing dozens to jail and intensifying pressure on independent media, according to a new report by the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), a press freedom organisation based in south-eastern Turkey.
The report shows that courts convicted 57 journalists over the course of the year, handing prison sentences to 40 of them. As of 5 January 2026, at least 28 journalists remain behind bars. Prosecutors launched criminal investigations against 113 journalists during the year, with 88 cases proceeding to trial. Courts imposed prison sentences totalling roughly 63 years, alongside fines amounting to 244,900 Turkish lira (around €4,900).
Beyond prosecutions, the report paints a picture of sustained pressure on journalists in their daily work. According to DFG’s findings, 42 journalists were subjected to ill-treatment, 22 were threatened, and 48 were prevented from reporting by law enforcement officers. Nearly 300 media workers lost their jobs during the year, while dozens more saw their economic and social rights violated.
The findings were presented on 10 January, Turkey’s Working Journalists Day, at the association’s headquarters. DFG co-chair Selman Çiçek said the day was not marked as a celebration but as an act of solidarity, stressing that attacks against journalists had continued uninterrupted throughout the year.
The report also highlights Turkey’s extensive use of censorship and access restrictions, particularly online. In 2025, authorities blocked access to 113 websites, 464 news articles and 1,519 social media posts or accounts. DFG argues that online platforms operating in Turkey complied with censorship requests, effectively becoming complicit in suppressing critical content.
Media regulators feature prominently in the report’s assessment of systemic pressure. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) issued broadcast suspensions for 17 programmes, imposed administrative fines on 71 television channels and suspended five broadcasters for a total of 35 days. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) was also cited for its role in restricting access to online content.
The association points to the growing use of trusteeship as another mechanism of control. In 2025, trustees were appointed to media organisations including TELE 1 and companies within the Ciner Group, moves DFG describes as unlawful. As a result, hundreds of media workers were left unemployed, further weakening independent journalism.
The report also documents the deaths of journalists in connection with Turkey’s military operations. Journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin were killed in northern and eastern Syria in late 2024 in a Turkish drone strike, while journalist Aziz Köylüoğlu was killed in a Turkish airstrike in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region in January 2025. Environmental journalist Hakan Tosun died after suffering a brain haemorrhage following an assault in October; the case remains unresolved.
DFG also refers to the ongoing investigation into the suspicious death of former journalist Dilan Karaman and dedicates its 2025 report to Hüseyin Aykol, a long-standing advocate for press freedom who died in January after months in intensive care after a cerebral hemorrhage.
In its conclusions, the association argues that pressure on journalists reflects a broader deterioration of democratic standards in Turkey. It calls for the immediate release of all journalists imprisoned for their professional work and for the dropping of investigations and trials related to journalistic activity. Judicial control measures such as travel bans, the report says, should also be lifted, as they prevent journalists from practising their profession.
DFG urges the government to end arbitrary censorship, reopen all blocked websites and social media accounts, and halt the suspension of online content without court rulings. A central recommendation is the democratisation of media regulators. The association argues that RTÜK and BTK should no longer be dominated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), warning that political control over regulators undermines their independence and turns them into instruments against opposition media.
The report also links press freedom to broader political developments, stating that meaningful progress towards peace and democratisation would reduce violations of freedom of expression. It stresses the need to remove obstacles to what it describes as “peace journalism” and calls for broader access to political actors involved in conflict resolution processes.
Turkey has long faced criticism from international human rights and media organisations over restrictions on freedom of expression. In the 2025 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, the country ranked 159th out of 180 countries, reflecting what watchdogs describe as entrenched and systemic pressure on independent journalism.
Caption: Illustrative image from Pixabay https://eualive.net/turkey-continues-to-jail-dozens-of-journalists-as-pressure-on-media-deepens/
