Two prominent Turkish journalists detained over their work; newspaper cite it as false charges

ISTANBUL: Two of Turkey's leading journalists were detained Thursday on what their newspapers said were false charges stemming from their work. Writers Timur Soykan of BirGun and Cumhuriyet's Murat Agirel were arrested at their homes on charges of making threats and blackmail in an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Both papers have criticized the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They have extensively covered events surrounding the March 19 arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Istanbul's mayor, which led to the largest protests in Turkey in more than a decade.

More than a dozen journalists have been detained at their homes after covering the protests, which were banned by the authorities. Seven face charges of participating in illegal protests after police determined they were not carrying out "journalistic activities" at the demonstrations. Prosecutors have previously called for jail terms of up to three years for the offense.

In a search of the journalists' homes in Istanbul, computers and other digital materials were examined, Cumhuriyet reported. Enes Ermaner, the lawyer for both men, protested the early-morning arrests and said arrangements had previously been made with the prosecutor for them to voluntarily make statements Thursday.

"The detention of people who have made an appointment to testify and who are known to come to testify is not only unlawful, but also clearly shows that Enemy Criminal Law is being applied," Ermaner wrote on X.

Soykan and Agirel were taken to Istanbul's police headquarters after checks at a hospital. Police can hold them up to four days. No court dates were immediately set. Citing the decision of the prosecutor's office, Cumhuriyet said they were detained "due to the possibility of the suspects escaping, destroying, altering or concealing evidence."

The prosecutor's office said the arrests were related to the sale of a television news channel called Flash Haber. The channel's owner, who is himself currently in jail pending trial on charges of money laundering and illegal sports betting, complained that he was threatened and blackmailed by Soykan and Agirel "regarding the transfer and purchase of the channel," the office added.

In a statement, BirGun said: "No matter what excuses the official authorities use, we know that the main reason for the detention of our friends is that they have revealed one by one the unlawful acts in all the judicial processes carried out since March 19 and have resolutely pursued the system of lies and plunder into which they are trying to drag the country."

The newspaper added that its writer Soykan had been due to receive an award for his journalism Thursday evening, which demonstrated that "the government's main target is not crime and criminals, but journalism and the truth." As he was being transferred from the hospital to police headquarters, Soykan shouted: "The gangs will lose, the people will win. All of this will end."

Responding to the arrests, Burhanettin Bulut, the deputy chairperson of the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, said the "sole purpose of those who made Turkey experience these ugly images and used the judiciary as a cudgel is to intimidate journalists who criticize the government and the free media."

The Contemporary Journalists' Association, which had been due to present Soykan with an award for the story of the year, posted on X: "Even if the news about the illegalities in the recent operations and the news they wrote against gangs and sects disturb some people, we will continue to say: Journalism is not a crime! Our colleagues must be released as soon as possible."