Turkish authorities on Sunday arrested a reporter for allegedly spreading false information, sparking small demonstrations by journalists and civil society groups in İstanbul and Ankara.
İsmail Ari, a reporter for the Turkish daily BirGün, was initially detained on Saturday in Türkiye’s north-central Tokat province before being transferred to the capital, Ankara, where he is currently awaiting trial.
Known for his reporting on alleged official corruption, he was charged by Ankara’s chief public prosecutor with “publicly disseminating information with the aim of misleading the public”.
Ari, for his part, denies the charges. In a message relayed through his legal team, he claimed the authorities were “looking for an excuse” to arrest him, adding that his “only crime is practising journalism”.
According to BirGün, the report that led to Ari’s arrest alleged that local authorities in İstanbul were planning to relocate protected cultural sites in order to build a secondary school dormitory.
Ari’s arrest on Sunday prompted limited demonstrations in İstanbul and Ankara, where journalists and civil society figures expressed solidarity with the detained reporter.
In İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district, dozens of supporters chanted slogans and called for Ari’s release from pre-trial detention.
Addressing the crowd, journalist Hilmi Hacaloğlu said Ari’s reporting had “caused discomfort in certain circles”, adding: “We demand his immediate release.”
A similar demonstration in Ankara drew several opposition figures.
In a social media post, Özgür Özel, head of the Republican People’s Party - Türkiye’s main opposition party - criticised Ari’s arrest.
“Journalism cannot be criminalised simply because someone does not like it,” he wrote, describing the arrest as “another example of hostile lawfare”.
In a statement, the Turkish Journalists’ Union also called for Ari’s release, saying reporters were often “subject to investigations - which are themselves a form of punishment - for simply doing their jobs.”
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investi...
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricult...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment