The defendants were charged for alleged ties to the recently deceased exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey’s government accused of maintaining a terrorist organization called FETÖ. Turkey has claimed that the failed 2016 military coup was organized by Gülen.

“Five Turkish journalists were once again tried because of alleged ties to the failed coup of 2016 without any credible evidence and found guilty again,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “Turkish authorities should not fight the appeals of those five journalists and stop using judicial measures to put pressure on the media, as such prolonged trials on baseless charges hurt Turkey’s press freedom record.”

The court found Yakup Çetin, a former reporter for the shuttered daily Yeni Hayat, guilty of membership in a terrorist organization and sentenced him to six years and three months, in line with the original 2018 sentencing.  

Ahmet Memiş, former editor for news websites Haberdar and Rotahaber; Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, former reporter for the shuttered news magazine Aksiyon; Ünal Tanık, former Rotahaber editor; and Yetkin Yıldız, former editor for news website Aktif Haber; were found guilty of “knowingly and willingly aiding a [terrorist] organization” and sentenced to 25 months each. The court acquitted Ali Akkuş, former editor for the shuttered daily Zaman.

None of the defendants were rearrested pending appeal.

All six defendants pleaded not guilty and asked for acquittals due to a lack of evidence for terrorist activity. While the journalists were employed by pro-Gülen outlets in 2016, the court documents CPJ inspected showed that their reporting was used as evidence against them.

In 2018, all six journalists were found guilty of membership in a terrorist organization and received sentences of up to seven years and six months.

CPJ’s email to the chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul for comment on the case did not receive a reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

“Turkish authorities continue to practice the ‘virtual patrolling’ and censorship of social media users under the false guise of national security,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “The request to block access to multiple X accounts, including those of journalists and media, will have a negative effect on press freedom in Turkey, where media have already worked under constant government restraints.” 

On August 20, a criminal court in the northeast city of Gümüşhane ordered 69 X accounts, including those of at least three journalists and a media outlet, to be blocked from access inside Turkey. The court ruling was issued in response to request by the local military police to stop “terrorist organization propaganda,” according to reports. The court document, reviewed by CPJ, did not specify the nature of the alleged terrorist propaganda. 

The list of accounts CPJ reviewed included those of politicians, activists and individuals from various countries. As of August 27, some of those accounts were not accessible from inside Turkey, while others were suspended or deleted. The accounts of Amberin Zaman, chief correspondent for the independent news website Al Monitor; Deniz Tekin, a correspondent for the local media freedom group MLSA in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır; and the pro-Kurdish daily Yeni Yaşam were accessible despite being included on the court list. The account of Öznur Değer, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish news site JİNNEWS, was inaccessible. 

The Constitutional Court of Turkey canceled the Turkish police force’s authority for “virtual patrolling” in 2020 due to the right to privacy and the protection of personal data. However, the Turkish security forces continue the practice.

CPJ emailed Turkey’s interior ministry, which oversees the military police, for comment but didn’t receive a reply. 

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

The 26th Istanbul Court of Serious Crimes found the three journalists guilty of “assisting a [terrorist] organization without being a member” on Wednesday over their alleged ties to the exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen. The government accuses Gülen of maintaining a terrorist organization, which it calls FETÖ/PDY, and blames for a failed 2016 military coup.

The court sentenced well-known novelist and journalist Altan to six years and 3.5 months imprisonment; Ilıcak, former commentator for pro-Gülen daily Özgür Düşünce and shuttered broadcaster Can Erzincan TV, to five years and three months imprisonment; and Yazıcı, former layout editor for shuttered daily Zaman, to two years and one month.

The court did not immediately order the journalists’ arrests, leaving Altan and Ilıcak—who are both in their 70s—under judicial control, which means they are under a travel ban and must report to the police regularly. The court removed judicial control measures on Yazıcı.

“Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan, Nazlı Ilıcak, and Fevzi Yazıcı have already spent years of their lives behind bars on trumped-up terrorism charges stemming from their journalistic activities. It’s time to stop this endless circle of dragging the journalists into courtrooms and give them peace,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “Turkish authorities should stop fighting the appeals of Altan, Ilıcak, and Yazıcı and work towards improving the country’s press freedom record.”

The court acquitted Yakup Şimşek, Zaman’s former advertising director, of the terrorism charge against him.

The three journalists have been enmeshed in multiple appeals and retrials since they were initially arrested in 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018. Ilıcak was released from prison in 2019, Altan in 2021, and Yazıcı in March 2023.

Ilıcak was imprisoned from December 4, 2023, to January 28, 2024, after losing an appeal for the charge of “slander” connected to a 2016 column, which contained allegations about a prosecutor who was overseeing a terrorism investigation.

CPJ’s email to the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office requesting comment did not receive an immediate reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the ruling Awami League party returned to power for her fifth term amid an opposition boycott and low voter turnout. The U.S. State Department said the elections were “not free or fair.”

Mujib Mashal, South Asia bureau chief for The New York Times, told CPJ that the newspaper was denied prior approval by the Bangladesh government to report on the polls.

Separately, on Saturday, January 6, the day before the election, the Daily Manab Zamin newspaper’s website was blocked in Bangladesh following its critical reporting on the government, according to Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, the outlet’s editor-in-chief.

Chowdhury said the outlet did not receive a government notice detailing why the website was blocked, and access was restored on Monday, January 8.

At around 1 p.m. on election day, around 15 to 20 men wearing Awami League badges attacked seven journalists– MA Rahim, a correspondent for the broadcaster Ananda TV, Rimon Hossain, a camera operator with Ananda TV; Masud Rana, a correspondent with the online news portal enews71; Sumon Khan, a correspondent with the broadcaster Mohona TV; Elias Bosunia, a correspondent with the broadcaster Bangla TV; Minaj Islam, a correspondent with the newspaper Daily Vorer Chetona; and Hazrat Ali, a correspondent with the newspaper Dainik Dabanol, during their coverage of an assault on independent candidate Ataur Rahman outside a polling station in northern Lalmonirhat district, according to Rahim and Rana.

The men beat several of the journalists with iron rods and bamboo sticks, beat and pushed others, and broke and confiscated multiple pieces of equipment including cameras and microphones—according to those sources and a complaint filed at the Hatibandha Police Station by Rana, which alleged the perpetrators were led by brothers Md. Zahidul Islam and Md. Mostafa, nephews of the incumbent parliamentarian contested by Rahman.

Md. Zahidul Islam told CPJ that he denied involvement in the attack. Islam did not respond to CPJ’s follow-up question about Mostafa’s alleged involvement in the attack.

Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of the Hatibandha Police Station, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment.

Separately, at around 2:40 p.m., around 25 men surrounded Sirajul Islam Rubel, a correspondent for The Daily Star newspaper, and Arafat Rahaman, a reporter for The Daily Star, as they tried to leave a polling station in the capital Dhaka after covering an alleged ballot stuffing attempt by Awami League supporters, Rubel told CPJ.

The men grabbed the journalists’ phones, deleted their video footage and photos of the incident, and blocked their exit from the center along with Daily Star reporter Dipan Nandy, who subsequently joined Rubel and Rahaman to report from the station. The trio managed to leave with the assistance of police at around 3:05 p.m., Rubel said.

Separately, at around 2:45 p.m., around 20 to 25 men beat Mosharrof Shah, a correspondent for the daily newspaper Prothom Alo, after he photographed and filmed alleged ballot stuffing by Awami League supporters at a polling station in southeast Chittagong city, the journalist told CPJ.

Shah said that while speaking to an electoral officer about the incident, the men approached the journalist, took his notebook where he wrote what he observed, and deleted footage from his mobile phone in the presence of police. The men repeatedly slapped and punched Shah before he managed to flee the scene after around 30 minutes, the journalist told CPJ, adding that he received his phone back around one hour later with the assistance of his journalist colleagues.

Shah identified one of the perpetrators as Nurul Absar, general secretary of a local unit of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League. Absar did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment.

Previously, on September 24, alleged members of the Chhatra League attacked Shah on the University of Chittagong campus.

Separately, at around 4 p.m., a group of 20 to 30 men surrounded and assaulted Saif Bin Ayub, a sub-editor for the Daily Kalbela newspaper, and took his laptop, phone, other personal items while he was photographing alleged ballot stuffing by Awami League supporters inside a polling center in Dhaka, the journalist told CPJ.

The men pushed Bin Ayub against a wall and punched him, kicked him in the abdomen, and scratched him while forcibly removing his press identification card from around his neck. The perpetrators then dragged him out of the building as he requested help from police present at the scene, the journalist said. 

Officers did not intervene and the beating continued outside for around 15 minutes, the journalist said, adding that he received his phone and broken laptop back later that day but not his wallet, wristwatch and other items.

Separately, at around 4:30 p.m., around eight to 10 men—including electoral officials and teenagers wearing Awami League badges—pushed Sam Jahan, a Reuters video journalist, out of a vote counting room in a polling station in Dhaka. Two of the teenagers then chased Jahan out of the station, he told CPJ.

Separately, Awami League supporters surrounded and obstructed the work of four journalists with the New Age newspaper—correspondent Muktadir Rashid, photojournalist Sourav Laskar, and reporters Nasir Uz Zaman and Tanzil Rahaman—during their coverage of polling stations in Dhaka, Rashid told CPJ.

Separately, unidentified perpetrators threw bricks from behind at Mohiuddin Modhu, a news presenter and correspondent for the broadcaster Jamuna Television, after the journalist tried to speak to a young teenager who attempted to cast a ballot in the Nawabganj sub-district of Dhaka district.

Biplab Barua, Awami League office secretary and special aide to Prime Minister Hasina, told CPJ that law enforcement took swift action regarding all attacks on journalists on election day. Barua added that the government is committed to launching investigations into all such incidents and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

On Saturday, October 28, at least 27 journalists covering rallies in the capital of Dhaka were attacked by supporters of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the ruling Awami League party, as well as police, according to a statement by local press freedom group Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media, several journalists who spoke to CPJ, and various news reports.

BNP demonstrators demanded that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League step down and allow a nonpartisan caretaker government to oversee the upcoming election scheduled for January. Police fired tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber bullets to disperse BNP protesters, who threw stones and bricks in response.

“The attacks on at least 27 Bangladeshi journalists covering recent political rallies in Dhaka must see swift and transparent accountability,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna. “The leadership and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Awami League, as well as police, must respect the rights of journalists to freely and safely report on the lead-up to the upcoming election scheduled for January.”

Md Rafsan Jani, a crime reporter for The Daily Kalbela newspaper, told CPJ that he was filming BNP supporters allegedly assaulting police officers when two demonstrators approached him and took his phone and identification card. A group of BNP supporters then surrounded Jani and beat him with iron rods, sticks, and pipes as he repeatedly identified himself as a journalist, he said, adding that he managed to escape after around 20 minutes. As of November 1, his items had not been returned.

S A Masum, a photographer for The Daily Inqilab newspaper, told CPJ that he was taking photos of a confrontation between Awami League and BNP supporters when his head was repeatedly struck from behind with what he suspected to be a bamboo stick, knocking him unconscious while the attackers, whom he did not identify, continued to beat him. Bystanders at the scene rescued Masum and took him to the hospital, where he was treated for a concussion and severe bruising and open lesions throughout his body, according to the journalist, who shared photos of his injuries with CPJ.

Md Sirajum Salekin, a crime reporter for the Dhaka Times newspaper, told CPJ that he was on his motorcycle on the way to cover clashes at the chief justice’s residence when a vehicle hit his motorcycle from behind, causing him to fall and break two bones in his right leg. Salekin said he believed he was targeted because he was wearing his press badge and his motorcycle was marked with a sticker of the Dhaka Times, which has critically reported on the Awami League.

Awami League demonstrators beat The Daily Kalbela reporter Abu Saleh Musa while covering their rally, according to The Daily Star.

Mohammad Ali Mazed, a video reporter for the French news agency Agence France-Presse, told CPJ that he was covering a clash between police and BNP demonstrators while holding a camera and press identification when five to six demonstrators surrounded him. The demonstrators damaged Mazed’s camera and other news equipment and beat him on his head, back, and right shoulder with bamboo sticks for around three minutes until the journalist fled the scene with the assistance of bystanders, he said.

Sazzad Hossain, a freelance photographer working with the news website Bangla Tribune and international outlets, including the British newspaper The Guardian and photo agency SOPA Images, told CPJ that BNP protesters threw broken bricks at him and trampled him while he was covering a clash with police.

Salahuddin Ahmed Shamim, a freelance photographer reporting for the news agency Fair News Service, told CPJ that he was covering BNP protesters allegedly assaulting police officers when seven to eight of the party’s supporters surrounded him, beat his backside with bamboo sticks, and kicked him for around 15 minutes.

Two journalists who spoke to CPJ– Sheikh Hasan Ali, chief photojournalist for Kaler Kantho newspaper, and Ahammad Foyez, senior correspondent for New Age newspaper– said they were struck with rubber bullets when police attempted to disperse BNP protesters, leaving them with minor injuries.

Ali told CPJ that an unidentified man hit the Kaler Kantho photographer Lutfor Rahman with a bamboo stick on his right shoulder while covering the same clashes.

Md Hanif Rahman, a photographer for the Ekushey TV broadcaster, told CPJ that he and Ekushey TV reporter Touhidur Rahman were covering an arson attack on a police checkpoint when they were surrounded by a group of 10 to 12 men who beat Md Hanif Rahman with pipes and sticks and pushed Touhidur Rahman.

Rabiul Islam Rubel, a reporter for The Daily Kalbela, told CPJ that he was among a crowd of BNP supporters while covering the clashes at the chief justice’s residence when 15 to 20 men threw bricks at him while shouting that journalists are “government brokers.”

Jony Rayhan, a reporter for The Daily Kalbela, told CPJ that BNP supporters beat him while covering their rally. Rayhan was also injured by a sound grenade that landed in front of him while police were dispersing the demonstrators, he said.

Salman Tareque Sakil, chief reporter for Bangla Tribune, told CPJ that he sustained a leg fracture after a brick was thrown at him while covering the BNP rally.

Jubair Ahmed, a Bangla Tribune reporter, told CPJ that while police were dispersing BNP demonstrators, a tear gas shell landed in front of him, blurring his vision before the protesters trampled him while fleeing the scene.

Tahir Zaman, a reporter for the news website The Report, was also injured by a rubber bullet while covering clashes at the BNP rally, according to his outlet and BJIM.

BJIM and local media named an additional 10 journalists who were attacked, but did not provide details on the incidents, which CPJ continues to investigate. Those journalists are:

• Touhidul Islam Tareque, reporter for The Daily Kalbela
• Kazi Ihsan bin Didar, crime reporter for the Breaking News website
• Tanvir Ahmed, reporter for The Daily Ittefaq newspaper
• Sheikh Nasir, reporter for The Daily Ittefaq
• Arifur Rahman Rabbi, reporter for the Desh Rupantor newspaper
• Masud Parvez Anis, reporter for the Bhorer Kagoj newspaper
• Saiful Rudra, special correspondent for the broadcaster Green TV
• Arju, camera operator for Green TV, who was identified by one name
• Hamidur Rahman, reporter for the Share Biz newspaper
• Maruf, a freelance journalist identified by one name

CPJ is investigating a report of a separate attack on at least one journalist on Saturday.

CPJ contacted BNP spokesperson Zahir Uddin Swapan, Information Minister and Awami League Joint Secretary Hasan Mahmud, and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman for comment, but did not immediately receive any replies.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

The leading pro-government Turkish daily newspaper Sabah revealed the locations of at least three exiled Turkish journalists living abroad in separate stories in September and October that portrayed them as criminals on the run, according to a CPJ review. All three journalists are wanted by Turkish authorities on terrorism-related charges, such as ties to the Fethullah Gülen religious movement, a former ally of Turkey’s leading Justice and Development Party (AKP) that the government now accuses of plotting the 2016 coup attempt.

“The publishing of the physical locations of Turkish journalists in exile by pro-government media is an unethical and irresponsible act that could lead to serious harm,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Making journalists targets via the use of pro-government media is an unacceptable move that puts lives at great risk, especially given the history of physical attacks on several Turkish journalists living in exile.”

Sabah published a critical story about exiled Turkish journalist Cevheri Güven in late September, which did not feature the street address of his apartment in Germany but mentioned the city and area where the building is located. In the story, Güven was accused of making propaganda videos to criticize the government and it featured photos of the building alongside photos of Güven, taken near his home. Freelance online journalist Güven frequently shares content on Turkey’s political agenda via social media to his 546,000 followers on YouTube and more than 387,000 followers on Twitter. Turkish authorities asked their German counterparts this month to return Güven to Turkey for prosecution.

In another critical story published in early October, Sabah revealed the street address of exiled Turkish journalist Abdullah Bozkurt, who is living in Sweden. The article accused Bozkurt of being the “planner” of the 2016 assassination in Ankara of AndreyKarlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, and claimed the journalist is fleeing from Russian intelligence. The story featured details about where Bozkurt lives and shops alongside photos of him taken in the street. Bozkurt said he has never been a suspect in the assassination case, which ended in September 2021. Bozkurt, executive director of Sweden-based news website Nordic Monitor, was physically attacked in Sweden in September 2020.

Last week, Sabah published another critical story that featured the street address of exiled Turkish journalist Bülent Keneş, former chief editor of the shuttered English-language Turkish daily newspaper Today’s Zaman, which featured photos of him in the street and details about where “he frequently shops.” The Sabah story accused Keneş of being a coup plotter and added that he lives a “life of luxury” in Sweden. Keneş denied any involvement in the 2016 coup attempt and living lavishly in Sweden.

These stories also were featured in other prominent pro-government media outlets, such as A Haber and the English-language version of the daily Sabah, according to CPJ’s review.

On July 7, 2021, Erk Acarer, an exiled Turkish journalist who is a columnist for the Turkish leftist daily BirGün, was attacked outside his home in Berlin by three assailants.

CPJ sent an email to Sabah for comment but didn’t receive any reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On Saturday, March 19, in Stockholm, unidentified people hit Dönmez’s car from behind and, when he got out of his vehicle, proceeded to beat him up, according to news reports and tweets by the journalist.

Dönmez was driving his six-year-old daughter home from school at the time of the attack, according to those reports, which said he sustained head trauma and was hospitalized in stable condition.

Dönmez publishes reporting on Turkish politics and alleged corruption, as well as political commentary, on his personal website, Twitter, and YouTube pages; he has about 147,000 followers on Twitter and about 55,000 on YouTube.

“Swedish authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate the recent attack on exiled Turkish journalist Ahmet Dönmez, determine if it was related to his reporting, and bring all those involved to account,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Swedish authorities must provide security for Dönmez and ensure that he can live and work without fearing for his or his family’s safety.”

Dönmez worked as a reporter for the Turkish daily Zaman until 2015, when he fled to Sweden “because of political pressure” according to his website. Turkish authorities shuttered Zaman in 2016, and have accused its staff of having ties to the Fethullah Gülen religious movement, which authorities have labeled a terrorist organization, as CPJ has documented.

CPJ emailed the Swedish police for comment but did not immediately receive any reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.