Artists, journalists and writers, including Sabahat Akkiraz, Ali Nesin, Levent Üzümcü, Ahmet Ümit, Nur Sürer, Erol Önderoğlu and Şule Aydın, have called for the release of imprisoned journalists. Press organizations also staged a demonstration demanding that the hearing of DW Türkçe reporter Alican Uludağ be held in person.
Artists and writers issued a call for the release of journalists imprisoned in Turkey, including Pınar Gayıp, Alican Uludağ, İsmail Arı and Merdan Yanardağ. Messages shared on the social media accounts of the Progressive Journalists Association (ÇGD) and by the artists and writers themselves stated that the journalists were jailed solely for carrying out independent and critical journalism.
Journalist and writer Faruk Bildirici said in his message that while it is possible to live a highly comfortable life in Turkey as a journalist supportive of the AKP government, independent journalists face extremely difficult conditions.
Mathematician and writer Ali Nesin asked: “How many educated people in Turkey do you know that can read, write and draw and have reached a certain age without going to prison? Kemal Tahir, Nazım Hikmet, Aziz Nesin and many others. How many years has this been going on? Isn’t another kind of Turkey possible, or is this our destiny? Will it always be this way?”
Writer Ahmet Ümit emphasized that freedom and democracy cannot exist in a country without a free press.
Levent Üzümcü, general art director of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality City Theatres, called on the public not to remain indifferent to the imprisonment of Uludağ, Arı, Gayıp and Yanardağ, whom he described as “real journalists pursuing the truth.”
Turkish folk music artist Sabahat Akkiraz stressed in her message that journalism is not a crime.
In a video message, DW Turkish Broadcasting Manager Erkan Arıkan said: “Anyone who chooses journalism does so solely to inform the public and enlighten people, not to create perceptions.” He called for the release of Alican Uludağ and İsmail Arı, adding: “Journalism is not a crime. Release our colleagues as soon as possible.”
Özge Mumcu, director of the Uğur Mumcu Investigative Journalism Foundation stated: “It is not journalists who should be put on trial, but lawlessness, impunity and dark relationships.” She noted that Alican Uludağ, who has long covered social developments and reported from courtrooms, now finds himself standing trial.
Merdan Yanardağ has been imprisoned since October 27, 2025, Pınar Gayıp since February 5, 2026, Alican Uludağ since February 19, 2026, and İsmail Arı since March 22, 2026.
Press Organizations Demand In-Person Hearing for Alican Uludağ
Meanwhile, journalists along with representatives of trade unions and civil society organizations gathered outside the Ankara Courthouse to demand that Alican Uludağ’s hearing be held face to face.
The demonstration, organized with the participation of the Press Council, DİSK Basın-İş,Progressive Journalists Association, Journalists’ Association, KESK Haber-Sen and the Journalists’ Union of Turkey was also supported by numerous journalists and politicians.
Speaking outside the courthouse, DW Türkçe reporter and ÇGD Chair Kıvanç El said they wanted Alican Uludağ to be brought to Ankara so he could present his defense in person and that all imprisoned journalists should be released.
“Our primary demand is that Alican be brought to Ankara to defend himself face to face. This is also Alican’s own request. He is not someone who avoids presenting a defense. Our fundamental demand is that no journalist should be held in pretrial detention because of their reporting. Alican, İsmail, Merdan and more than 10 journalists are currently in prison. We want all of them released and able to defend themselves in person. İsmail’s hearing is on June 5, and we also demand his immediate release,” he said.
Amnesty International Calls for Repeal of Three Legal Provisions
Amnesty International also issued a separate written statement calling for Alican Uludağ’s release.
Ruhat Sena Akşener said: “All journalists and other media workers who have been subjected to rights violations, criminalized and deprived of their liberty solely because of their journalistic activities must be released immediately.”
The organization also called for the repeal of legal provisions criminalizing “publicly disseminating misleading information,” “insulting the president” and “denigrating the Turkish nation and state institutions.”
The statement stressed that these three provisions are incompatible with Turkey’s obligations under international human rights law and standards. It also recalled that, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, more than 55,000 people were investigated in 2024 on charges of “insulting the president” and “denigrating the Turkish state.”
