TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KKUORDİNATÖRÜ

IFJ - INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALIST Following the arrest of President Erdoğan's main political rival in March 2025, Turkey witnessed the largest anti-government protests in a decade. While it remains unclear whether Erdoğan will be able to seek a third term as president, freedom of expression and the press in Türkiye continue to face serious threats. The government is intensifying its efforts to silence critical voices and restrict independent journalism. In late March 2025, the arrest of opposition Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and approximately 100 people associated with him triggered widespread protests across the country. Just before his arrest on corruption charges, İmamoğlu's undergraduate degree was controversially revoked by Istanbul University, disqualifying him from running for president. In response, the Republican People's Party (CHP), with its 1.7 million members, called on the public to show solidarity with İmamoğlu, which helped secure nearly 15 million votes for İmamoğlu's presidential candidacy in the upcoming primaries. Following his arrest, hundreds of thousands took to the streets, accusing the judiciary of political bias, condemning the arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of peaceful protesters, including students, and the growing authoritarianism in Türkiye. This crackdown was accompanied by intense pressure on mainstream and independent media outlets, journalists, public figures, artists, and ordinary citizens. Immediately following İmamoğlu's arrest, the Istanbul Governor imposed a four-day protest ban, restricting access to popular social media platforms and shutting down major metro lines. Türkiye's media regulator, the Broadcasting Supreme Board (RTÜK), imposed fines and broadcast bans on opposition media outlets, including Halk TV and Tele 1, and imposed a ten-day broadcast ban on Sözcü TV for "inciting hatred and hostility" during its live broadcast of the protests. In April, eight Turkish journalists were put on trial, and legal action was taken against two foreign reporters. BBC reporter Mark Lowen was deported for "posing a threat to public order," while Swedish reporter Joakim Medin was arrested on charges of "insulting the president" and "membership in an armed terrorist organization." Turkish authorities claimed Medin's arrest was unrelated to his journalistic work.2 Social media played a significant role in amplifying both the protests and the opposition's calls for a boycott of pro-government media outlets and companies and a one-day shopping boycott. Türkiye's state broadcaster, TRT, fired several actors who used social media to support the shopping boycott, and the show's scriptwriter expressed solidarity with the actors.