The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned media freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’ and human rights organisations express profound alarm at the recent wave of detentions and arrests of journalists and civil society representatives in Türkiye in the immediate lead-up to the NATO Summit in Ankara on 7-8 July. In the last two weeks, Turkish authorities have launched a coordinated crackdown on critical voices in the country, including independent media. In this period, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) monitoring platform Mapping Media Freedom documented 11 journalists and media workers detained under vague or unjustified pretexts, many with…

Three journalists were detained in a new wave of countrywide police raids in Turkey ahead of the NATO summit, which begins today in the capital city Ankara. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliates, DİSK Basın-İş, Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS), Türkiye Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (TGC), Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (GCD) and İzmir Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (IGC), in calling for the immediate release of the detained journalists. On 5 July, T24 journalist Buse Söğütlü, OdaTV journalist Ceren Erdoğdu and Nihaplus journalist and Bianet contributor Abbas Vural were detained in the second wave of pre-dawn police raids conducted in at least eight cities ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey. They…

The imprisonment of Yıldız Tar, a journalist who has worked for many years on human rights, LGBTI+ rights and freedom of expression, deepens concerns over the use of criminal investigations and pre-trial detention against journalists because of their professional work, in Turkey. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are calling on the Turkish authorities to release Yıldız Tar immediately. Journalist Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief of LGBTQ+ rights publication Kaos GL, was arrested on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” after being detained on 23 June in pre-dawn police raids in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, ahead…

On 6 July, journalists and media workers at the AFP Istanbul bureau will go on strike after management refused to accept their demands for fair wages during collective bargaining negotiations. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) express solidarity with the striking journalists and their affiliate, Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS), and are calling on AFP to meet their demands. The fourth term of collective bargaining negotiations between AFP and TGS began in February 2026. During the negotiations, TGS presented two proposals to management. The first included a 32.4% wage increase, corresponding to the official inflation…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliate the Journalists’ Union Of Turkey (TGS) joined the MFRR coalition, the International Press Institute (IPI), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other press freedom and human rights organizations in expressing concern over the denial of accreditation to Turkish journalists hoping to cover NATO’s summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 7-8. Dozens of Turkish journalists ‌have been denied accreditation for a NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara next month, media outlets and journalist associations said on Thursday, with NATO saying it relied on Turkey for guidance about journalists. Independent outlets including…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will hold its annual meeting in Ankara, Turkey. Around 70 journalists and trade union representatives are expected to meet on 18-19 June 2026. It is co-organised by the Journalists’ Association (GCD), based in the capital city of Turkey. Under the theme “Independent journalism under siege”, the EFJ Congress will kick off with a conference on “The global crisis of journalism”. The event will welcome Márton Gergely, chief editor of  HVG, Hungary’s leading weekly and Chair of the IPI Executive Board, for a keynote discussion on the global challenges facing the profession.  During the Congress,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned organisations in strongly condemning the intensifying use of Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code — widely known as the “disinformation law” — to arrest, detain, and prosecute journalists, and calling on the government to repeal the provision immediately and release all journalists imprisoned under it. Since the law entered into force in October 2022, at least 83 journalists have been charged 114 times over disinformation according to news reports. The scale of Article 217/A’s use against journalists has been starkly illustrated in a recent article. The two journalists most frequently…

Deutsche Welle correspondent Alican Uludağ, who was detained Thursday evening in Turkey, was brought before a detention judge on Friday. The prosecutor in charge requested that he be placed in pre-trial detention, and the court subsequently issued an arrest warrant. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Turkish affiliates, TGS, TGC, DISK Basin-Is and GCD, in demanding the immediate release of the journalist. Alican Uludağ is a well-known investigative journalist with 18 years of experience and no prior convictions. He has worked for Germany’s international broadcaster DW in Turkey for several years. On Thursday evening, he was detained by…

Turkey’s press freedom is facing worsening crackdowns as 2026 is setting in motion. Journalists and media workers are subjected to arbitrary arrests, forced detentions, criminal prosecutions, prolonged pre-trial detentions, judicial harassment and other forms of repression that seriously undermine press freedom and the public’s right to information. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) strongly condemn these ongoing attacks on press freedom and call for the immediate release of all journalists who are detained or jailed. Turkish authorities have detained several journalists across the country while they were covering pro-Kurdish protests, which erupted after fighting resumed between Kurdish forces…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned organisations in calling for the removal of the reported anti-LGBTQ+ provision from the 11th Judicial Package which would restrict and possibly criminalise media reporting on the community in Turkey. The draft of the 11th Judicial Package was shared with the members of the press last week and is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the coming days. Under the heading “Obscene acts,” the draft introduces a so-called “Turkish-style ban on homosexual propaganda.” It stipulates prison sentences of up to three years for any behavior or attitude that is “contrary to…

On 13 October 2025, Turkish journalist and environmental activist Hakan Tosun died from his injuries following a street assault by two individuals. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their Turkish affiliates the Turkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi (TGS), the Türkiye Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (TGC) and DİSK Basın-İş in urging authorities to investigate whether the assault is connected to his work as a documentary filmmaker. Hakan Tosun was found unconscious after being attacked as he walked through the streets of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district on 11 October. According to CCTV footage published by Turkish media, Tosun was struck on the head by two…

Turkey is increasingly throttling social media platforms and messaging apps to silence online communication at moments of profound political or social importance. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned human rights and press freedom organisations in condemn Turkey’s actions, which isolate people from vital information, and stifle democratic participation. Turkey must correct course and uphold its international human rights obligations. On 7 September at 23:45, major social media platforms and messaging services X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal became inaccessible in Istanbul for approximately 21 hours. The bandwidth throttling coincided with a police blockade of the main opposition Republican…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the International Press Institute (IPI) and 15 press freedom organisations in strongly condemning the elongated pretrial detention of journalist Furkan Karabay, who faces a prison sentence of 6 to 15 years and call for his immediate release. Karabay has now spent 117 days in prison over his journalistic commentary. Karabay, who has previously worked as an editor and reporter for news portals outlets such as Gerçek Gündem and 10Haber, has been held in pretrial detention for over 100 days and his indictment was prepared on September 5. He is charged with “making targets…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in condemning the five-day broadcast blackout imposed on TELE1 since September 1, and the escalating use of censorship sanctions by RTÜK, Turkey’s broadcast regulator, against independent critical media outlets. We urge authorities to stop targeting critical and opposing views and uphold media pluralism in line with democratic standards. On July 24, 2025, Turkey’s broadcast regulator RTÜK imposed severe penalties against critical broadcasters, including a temporary broadcast blackout and hefty administrative fines targeting TELE1. The punishment was based on remarks by the channel’s editor-in-chief Merdan…

The Izmir office of the Turkish daily newspaper Evrensel, located in Alsancak district, was shot at by an unidentified assailant, last night, at around 1.30am. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demands an investigation to identify the perpetrator, his motives and convict him. The attack occurred at around 01:30 am when the office was empty. The man opened fire on Evrensel’s sign with a pistol. Seven bullet holes were found in the sign. Police detained one suspect and collected shell casings from the scene. The İzmir Representative Office of Evrensel said that the attack was not only against Evrensel, but…

Turkish media regulator RTÜK has imposed an administrative fine and a 10-day broadcasting suspension on Sözcü TV over a statement “Turkey is not a Muslim country” made by Murat Kubilay, a columnist in national media outlets in Turkey, on the ‘Money Politics’ programme. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Turkish affiliates condemn this disproportionate decision which amounts to censorship. According to RTÜK’s decision, Sözcü TV is off the air for 10 days from 9 July. Journalists representing several organisations, including EFJ Turkish affiliates (TGS, DİSK Basın-İş, GCD…) visited the channel’s office in Ankara to express their support. “RTÜK…