Journalist Furkan Karabay was detained today in a dawn raid on his home over a social media post in which he criticized İstanbul’s chief prosecutor.
The detention was confirmed by Hakan Çelenk, editor-in-chief of the 10Haber news site, where Karabay works.
“This is yet another case of a journalist being hastily detained at dawn even though he would have complied with a request to come in for questioning. The reason, apparently, is a tweet. He’s now giving his statement at Vatan Police Headquarters,” he wrote on social media.
Karabay’s lawyer, Hüseyin Ersöz, said on social media that the police searched Karabay’s home and seized certain items belonging to the journalist.
He noted that the main opposition party’s leader has also recently criticized İstanbul’s chief prosecutor, Akın Gürlek, adding, “According to rulings by the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights, public officials must endure even harsh criticism.”
Who is Akın Gürlek, the top judicial official dubbed as ‘mobile guillotine’ by Turkey’s opposition?
“Detaining a journalist in what’s practically a ‘dawn operation,’ can be considered by more than a precaution—a punitive measure, as viewed by many legal experts,” the lawyer further said.
This isn’t the first time that Karabay is facing detention for expressing his opinions or his reporting. On Dec 28, he was detained after reporting on alleged corruption and bribery in a trial involving Barış Saral of the notorious Sarallar crime group. Following his report, Karabay was accused of “marking an anti-terror official as a target for terror groups” in the case and was subsequently jailed.
Karabay was eventually released on Jan 8, following a decision from İstanbul’s 7th Penal Court of Peace. In a subsequent hearing on Oct 1, 2024.
BIA Media Monitoring Reports
(VK)
