Türkiye: Release and end judicial harassment of Furkan Karabay
Image Credit: Furkan Karabay
‘PEN International said it time and again: journalism is not a crime. Furkan Karabay is behind bars and on trial in Türkiye merely for carrying out his job. As we command the power of young writers in generating change, we stand with Karabay in his pursuit for the truth and urge an end to his relentless targeting. Türkiye’s mounting onslaught on press freedom must end once and for all’. Said Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President.
28 May 2025 – The authorities of Türkiye should immediately and unconditionally release journalist and author Furkan Karabay and stop their judicial harassment, PEN International said today. Karabay’s previous baseless conviction should be overturned and journalists allowed to do their work free from persecution.
On 15 May 2025, police arbitrarily detained Furkan Karabay at his home in Istanbul. Karabay was brought before a court later that day and officially arrested on suspicion of ‘making targets of those who were tasked to combat terrorism’ under Article 6/1 of Anti-Terror Law No. 3713, which carries up to three years in prison, and ‘insulting’ Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan under Article 299 of the Penal Code, which carries up to four years in prison. Karabay declined to file a defence in court, denouncing the judiciary’s apparent determination to ‘chase down and imprison 20-year-old students who were exercising their constitutional rights’ to assembly and peaceful protest. The charges against Karabay stem from his social media posts relating to the detention in March 2025 of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the alarming crackdown that ensued. Karabay’s X account was blocked in Türkiye after his arrest. He is currently being held in Marmara prison, Silivri, alongside young protesters from the Saraçhane district of Istanbul. His lawyers challenged his pre-trial detention order, yet the court rejected the petition within one day.
Furkan Karabay has been repeatedly targeted by the authorities of Türkiye on account of his journalistic work in recent years. In April 2025, a court in Istanbul found him guilty of defamation and ‘insulting the president’ in relation to his reporting on claims of corruption against the president’s family and handed him a deferred prison sentence totaling nearly two years. Karabay further stands accused in a separate case of ‘making targets of those who were tasked to combat terrorism,’ ‘insulting a public servant,’ and ‘knowingly distributing misleading information to the public,’ after reporting on the arrest of an opposition mayor. His trial was yet to start at the time of writing. In October 2024, Furkan was acquitted of defamation and ‘making targets of those who were tasked to combat terrorism’ for his reporting on allegations of corruption in the judiciary.
PEN International has long urged the authorities of Türkiye to end the arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists and writers simply on the basis of the content of their writing, to repeal all criminal defamation and insult laws, and to safeguard the vital role of journalism in fostering dialogue and debate on matters of public interest. With university students at the forefront of the protests, PEN International and its newly established Young Writers Committee stand in solidarity with those risking everything to peacefully uphold fundamental freedoms.
Additional information
Furkan Karabay, born 15 May 1996, has worked with several media outlets in Türkiye, including Cumhuriyet, 10Haber, Oda TV, and Gerçek Gündem. He notably specialises in judicial developments. In 2024, Karabay published Gurban, a book detailing his investigation into businessman Mubariz Mansimov’s activities with the government in Türkiye as well as his rise and fall.
On 20 May, Karabay sent the following message to PEN members from Marmara prison:
Even if they shut down our accounts, silence our voices, or cut out our tongues, we are journalists and we will continue to write the truth and practice journalism. We have been in prison before; we will get out again. We will not give up living with honour and dignity.
The only thing that those who scan our news stories and try to produce offences will see in our past reporting will be the truth and nothing but the truth.
Those who do not want reports to be made, voices to be raised or protests to be organised about the unlawfulness of operations against the Istanbul Mayor's Office are trying to prevent the real issues and problems from being discussed.
For the sake of your honour and dignity, never give up the struggle.
We will continue our journalism, research and investigations together with our colleagues all over the world without giving up. We journalists are fighters for the truth. Imprisonment will not deter us from this path. We will continue our struggle for the public and for human rights everywhere.
With respect and love to PEN.
Furkan Karabay
Marmara L Type Closed Penal Institution No.5 B-2
Translated into English by Ege Dündar, writer, Board member of PEN International and Vice-Chair of PEN International’s Young Writers Committee.
Note to editors:
For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: [email protected]
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Communications and Campaigns Manager at PEN International, [email protected]
For more information about PEN International’s work on Türkiye please see Identity on Trial: Persecution and Resistance – PEN’s Case List 2025.
