According to a report published by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), journalists are being tried as defendants in the vast majority of cases filed under Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code. Based on case data monitored by the MLSA between 2024 and 2026, journalists, reporters, or media workers were involved in more than 72 percent of the cases examined. The report emphasized that lengthy trial processes, as well as the risks of detention and arrest, have a serious deterrent effect on freedom of expression, and that in many cases, the judicial process itself functions as a punitive mechanism.
March 12, 2026
MLSA