Journalist Timur Soykan was detained on charges of “publicly spreading misleading information” due to his social media posts. Soykan was detained while sitting in a café in Istanbul and his statement was taken at Vatan Security Directorate.
In his statement, Soykan emphasized that his criticism of political operations was within the scope of freedom of thought and expression. Soykan said, “I stand by my words. The people’s right to vote is being usurped by the judiciary. It is an obligation for a journalist to oppose this.”
Among the grounds for his detention were posts in which he criticized corruption operations against non-government municipalities and argued that these operations were carried out on political orders. Soykan also stated that they had fought against the influence of Fetullahists in the judiciary in the past and that the same mentality continues today.
Soykan said that he wanted to give a more detailed statement at the prosecutor’s office and an investigation is ongoing.
July 5, 2025
Independent Turkish