A Turkish court on Thursday cleared four photojournalists arrested during March’s mass demonstrations in Istanbul, ending a months-long trial that had drawn global attention to media freedoms in the country. The decision followed a review of the charges filed after the wave of protests triggered by the detention of Ekrem Imamoglu, a leading opposition figure whose influence has shaped recent Turkish politics.
The journalists—AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, NOW Haber’s Ali Onur Tosun, and freelancers Bulent Kilic and Zeynep Kuray—were arrested in dawn raids several days into the demonstrations. They had been accused of breaching laws regulating public gatherings, the same allegations levelled against thousands of protesters detained during the unrest.
Inside the courtroom at the Istanbul court, the presiding judge dismissed the case, stating that “there is no solid basis that the defendants committed the alleged offence.” None of the journalists was present for the ruling.
Only one of the four, Akgul, works for an international media organisation. His employer, Agence France-Presse, had consistently called for his acquittal. His lawyer had earlier argued that the accusations lacked any legal foundation.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders welcomed the judgment, describing the arrests as unlawful and saying the outcome highlighted how arbitrary detentions had become a tool for restricting coverage. In a reaction shared with AFP, the group said the decision underscored that the case had “obstructed the public’s right to access news.”
The protests began after the arrest of Imamoglu in connection with a corruption probe, a development that immediately sparked political debate. Many in Turkey viewed the investigation as an attempt to weaken a politician seen as a strong challenger to Recep Tayyip Erdogan in future elections.
The demonstrations soon spread beyond Istanbul, growing into the largest anti-government mobilisation since the 2013 Gezi Park movement, which had similarly confronted state authority and policing practices.
