Freedom of association
Since the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, in March 2025, Turkish authorities have intensified their crackdown on members of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), carrying out waves of mass detentions on corruption and terrorism-related charges. Under existing law, local officials under investigation for corruption can be removed from office, while those arrested on terrorism charges may be replaced by a government-appointed trustee—a practice President Erdoğan’s administration has systematically used to sideline elected opposition figures and consolidate control.
In early June, authorities detained 22 opposition figures, including five mayors, on allegations of corruption. The detainees included local officials from Istanbul and other cities such as Adana. On 1st July, ahead of a massive rally in Istanbul to mark 100 days since İmamoğlu’s arrest, police detained 120 CHP officials, including former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer and the party’s provincial leader, Şenol Aslanoğlu. In total, the Izmir Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 157 officials as part of an investigation into alleged municipal tender rigging and fraud.
On 24th June, Turkish authorities also arrested hundreds of military and police personnel suspected of links to the Gülen movement, a network accused by the government of orchestrating the 2016 failed coup. Operations targeted mainly the army, with 158 military members detained in Istanbul-led raids and many others across 31 provinces. These arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown that has seen tens of thousands arrested since 2016, including soldiers, police officers, and civilians. Around 65 officers were formally arrested following initial detentions, while others were released under judicial supervision. The government views the movement as a terrorist organisation, although its members deny involvement in the coup.
Freedom of peaceful assembly
Protesters mark 100 days since İmamoğlu’s arrest
On 1st July, tens of thousands of people gathered outside Istanbul’s municipal headquarters to mark 100 days since the imprisonment of opposition mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. The rally, led by Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, called for İmamoğlu’s release and denounced the government’s alleged political interference in the judiciary. İmamoğlu, arrested in March on terrorism and corruption charges which he denies, is the main rival to President Erdoğan in the next elections.
Police again intervened forcefully, using tear gas and detaining at least 42 participants, including students and journalists. According to the BBC’s Turkish service, eight were released after giving statements at the police station, while 34 were referred to the Istanbul Courthouse. Fifteen were sent to the Criminal Court of Peace with a request for arrest; seven were jailed on charges of “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” and “insulting the President”, and six on the former charge alone.
Istanbul Pride and Trans Pride violently repressed
In June, both the Istanbul Pride March and the Trans Pride March were violently broken up by police. The Istanbul governor’s office had earlier deemed Pride events unlawful and said groups promoting them were operating “illegally”. The authorities have banned Pride marches in Turkey’s largest city since 2015, citing public safety concerns. Due to the blanket ban on LGBTQI+ events, individuals were detained even in unrelated areas after being profiled based on appearance.
Police forcefully detained at least 46 people before, during and after the Istanbul Trans Pride March on 22nd June, according to organisers. Three activists were taken into custody during an identity check hours before the march began and were reportedly unreachable for several hours. In total, 42 people were detained in Kadıköy, including three minors who were later released. The remaining 39 were held overnight. Police reportedly surrounded the group and forcibly detained them as they gathered, with some activists reporting they had been beaten. In Beyoğlu, 17 kilometres away from the event, police detained four people, including a foreign tourist, who were also held overnight.
On 29th June, at the Istanbul Pride, at least 55 activists, lawyers, and journalists were detained, with three activists arrested—the first arrests in the history of Pride in Turkey. The Pride Week Committee reported that detainees were subjected to mistreatment, including being handcuffed behind their backs. “Before today’s Istanbul Pride march, four of our colleagues, including members of our Human Rights Centre, along with more than 50 people, were deprived of their liberty through arbitrary, unjust, and illegal detention”, the Istanbul Bar’s Human Rights Centre stated in a post on Twitter/X.
Student and youth protests
Esila Ayık, a university student with chronic heart and kidney conditions, was detained on 9th April 2025 after participating in the “Youth Solidarity Stage” protest in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district. She was arrested for holding a sign referring to President Erdoğan as a “dictator” and faced charges of “insulting the president”, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to four years and eight months. Despite her health issues, the court initially rejected requests for her release. She was held in Bakırköy Women’s Prison and hospitalised on 23rd April due to deteriorating health. Ayık was released after 36 days of pretrial detention.
On 23rd May, students at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul protested against the closure of the Ortaköy Girls’ Dormitory by the university administration, which cited “space requirements” as the reason. Organised by the MSGSÜ Women’s Rights Group, the protest drew support from other university students. Participants stressed that private dormitories are unaffordable and that the closure deprived them of safe housing near campuses. The students, who attend the Cinema and Television programme, demanded their right to housing and protested deteriorating conditions, recalling previous closures such as the Balmumcu building—part of Turkey’s cinema heritage—which was also shut down, officially citing earthquake risk.
At Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University, on 13th May, 97 students, including a journalist, were detained by police during a protest against a campus event featuring Islamic preacher Nureddin Yıldız. The event was organised by the university's Islamic Studies Club (BİSAK). Students opposed the decision to host him, chanting slogans such as “Yıldız, get off my campus!” and “No to sharia, fascism, and darkness!” The protest escalated as students attempted to march to the event location, leading to clashes with riot police, who used force to disperse the crowd. Thirteen police officers were injured, mostly due to falls during the scuffle. Several students were later arrested, with some placed under judicial supervision or detained.
Municipal workers and journalists on strike
The İzmir Municipality workers’ strike began on 28th May 2025, involving about 23,000 workers from municipal subsidiaries İZELMAN, İZENERJİ, and Egeşehir. Workers demanded higher wages—specifically “equal pay for equal work”—the elimination of wage disparities between employees from different unions, and proper inflation adjustments amid Turkey’s high inflation. The strike disrupted municipal services, including garbage collection and public transport. After nearly a week, on 4th June, it ended following an agreement that included a 30% wage increase starting 1st July 2025 and a further 19% raise in January 2026.
Journalists at Kültür Radyo Televizyon (KRT), a pro-opposition TV network in Turkey, entered their third week of protest in June 2025 over unpaid wages, meal allowances, and alleged mistreatment following the channel's change of ownership in October 2023. The strike involved about 158 staff who had not been paid for months and whose severance claims had not been met. The strike began in early June due to months of payment delays, a lack of severance pay for dismissed employees and unfulfilled promises by the management. The journalists ended their protest on 24th June 2025 after reaching an agreement with management to resolve unpaid wages and meal allowances. As part of the deal, KRT committed to completing all outstanding payments by the end of July 2025, with one month's salary already paid as the first instalment on 18th June.
Freedom of expression
Intensifying Persecution of Journalists
According to an analysis published by Bianet on 3rd May, World Press Freedom Day, the persecution of journalists in Turkey in 2025 has been both severe and escalating. Around 150 journalists faced trial in the first three months alone, with 26 acquittals but 17 convictions, resulting in over 25 years of prison sentences for charges including “insulting the president”, spreading “propaganda for a terrorist organisation”, and other politically motivated accusations. Throughout 2024 and into 2025, there were numerous arrests (at least 57 journalists detained in 2024), physical attacks on journalists (12 or more assaulted by police while covering protests), and widespread judicial harassment, including house arrests and travel bans. Police raids, detentions, online censorship, and heavy fines on critical media outlets are common, with a broad crackdown intensifying after the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor in early 2025.
Journalists detained and arrested
Can Öztürk, a reporter for the T24 news site, was detained on 13th May during his coverage of the student protest at Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University. Authorities accused Öztürk of participating in the protest, citing video footage showing him filming on the scene and alleging he was among those clashing with security forces. Öztürk denied these accusations, explaining that he was solely there to report, did not carry signs or chant slogans, and repeatedly identified himself as a journalist, showing his press card and expressing his desire to leave.
In coordinated operations on 13th June 2025, journalists Semra Pelek and Dicle Baştürk were detained in Istanbul following dawn raids on their homes, as part of a confidential criminal investigation based in Artvin province. Two others were also taken into custody. The detainees were transferred to Artvin, over 1,500 km away. On 20th June, Baştürk, Eylem Emel Yılmaz, Yavuz Akengin, and Sendika.Org employee Ozan Cırık were arrested on charges of “membership in a terrorist organisation” and transferred to detention. Pelek and Melisa Efe, detained in the same operation, were released under judicial control. Separately, on 25th June 2025, freelance journalist Metin Yoksu was arrested in Batman after voluntarily appearing at court. His home in Istanbul had been raided on 13th June in connection with accusations of “membership in a terrorist organisation and propaganda”. Known for reporting on human rights and environmental issues, Yoksu was referred for arrest after giving his statement and has been placed in pretrial detention. As reported by Bianet, the charges relate to their professional activities, including providing software services to news websites, processing payments for articles, and telephone communications. Their lawyers argue that these are standard journalistic activities being treated as evidence of criminality.
Fatih Altaylı, a prominent Turkish journalist and commentator, was arrested on 21st June 2025 following his online video commentary criticising President Erdoğan. In the video, Altaylı discussed a poll indicating that 70% of Turkish voters preferred a different leader after Erdoğan, who is constitutionally barred from running in 2028. Prosecutors charged him with making criminal threats against the president, invoking a law that imposes harsher penalties for offences targeting the presidency. Altaylı denied threatening Erdoğan, stating his comments were historical and political analysis. Press freedom organisations condemned his detention as an abuse of criminal law aimed at silencing critical voices.
On 29th June 2025, journalists Evrim Gündüz, Nur Kaya, and Yusuf Çelik were detained by police while covering the banned Istanbul Pride March. Gündüz and Kaya, both reporting for independent outlet Bianet, and Çelik, a journalist with Özgür Gelecek, were detained alongside dozens of demonstrators. Witnesses and press freedom monitors reported that journalists were targeted despite clearly displaying official press cards. Police blocked access to central areas with barricades and detained at least 40 people, including the three journalists, many handcuffed behind their backs. Footage circulating online showed police surrounding members of the press and preventing them from filming.
On 1st July 2025, three Cumhuriyet journalists, İrem Karataş, Erdem Öktem and Engin Deniz İpek, were detained by the police while covering a demonstration in Istanbul to mark the 100th day of the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The three were handcuffed behind their backs by police, despite repeatedly identifying themselves as journalists, and videos circulating on social media showed them sitting on the kerb, tightly restrained. They were released after about 30 minutes. Karataş later stated that the police responded to her showing them her press card by saying, “We don’t care — you shouldn’t have been here”.
Worsening Climate for Women Journalists
According to an analysis by Balkan Insight, online abuse targeting Turkish women journalists is on the rise, fuelled by a climate of impunity amid declining media freedoms and women’s rights in Turkey. Women journalists face disproportionate harassment, including misogynistic insults, death and rape threats, cyberbullying, defamation, and targeted attacks on their personal and family lives. The abuse is often coordinated and gender-based, relying on sexist and patriarchal rhetoric. Independent women reporters, particularly those covering sensitive issues such as Kurdish affairs, face heightened risks, including hacking and doxing. This abuse severely undermines their physical and psychological safety and restricts their professional participation.
In a recent notable example, Zeynep Durgut, a reporter for the Mesopotamia Agency, faced serious threats in June 2025 following her investigative reporting on a prostitution and sex trafficking ring in Şırnak. The network involved women and children trafficked from Kurdish regions in Syria and was allegedly linked to military officers facilitating their transport. After publishing her article in February 2025, she received threatening calls warning her that her actions “would not go unpunished”. The Şırnak Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has since indicted 25 suspects on charges including organised prostitution, human trafficking, child prostitution, and aggravated sexual abuse. The Dicle Fırat Journalists Association condemned the threats and expressed solidarity with Durgut, stressing the importance of her work amid wider risks faced by journalists exposing sensitive crimes in politically tense regions.
Ayşemden Akın, a Turkish Cypriot investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of Bugün Kıbrıs, has received severe death threats after exposing corruption and organised crime involving senior officials in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. She was subjected to a 27-minute threatening phone call warning her to stop her work or be killed, and her main whistleblower source was assassinated shortly afterwards in the Netherlands. Despite requests, police protection remains minimal and inadequate. International organisations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have urgently called for full protective measures and thorough investigations.
Blocking of İmamoğlu’s X Account
Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor and presidential candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, had his official X (formerly Twitter) account blocked within Turkey by court order in early May 2025. The decision followed an investigation into a 24th April post, which prosecutors allege constituted “public incitement to commit a crime”. Authorities cited national security and public order concerns as reasons for the block, which will remain in place until İmamoğlu is released. Although inaccessible in Turkey, the account remains available internationally.
RTÜK Lifts Ban on Deutsche Welle
Turkey’s media regulator, RTÜK (Radio and Television Supreme Council), has lifted its broadcast ban on the German state-owned media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW), specifically its Turkish service.
The ban, imposed in June 2022, stemmed from DW’s failure to obtain a broadcast licence required for streaming video content in Turkey. After a new evaluation, RTÜK determined that DW’s content qualifies as press activity rather than requiring a separate broadcast licence. Additionally, RTÜK noted that “previously flagged content was removed”.
Following the 2022 ban, DW’s Turkish service continued its operations through alternate domains. After the Ministry of Industry and Technology refused to renew the operating licence, the company was forced to close its office in Turkey and hire its employees as freelancers.