5 September 2025
An indictment against journalist Furkan Karabay requests his conviction on charges of “publicly insulting the President” (Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code), “repeatedly targeting officials engaged in counterterrorism” (Article 6/1 of the Anti-Terror Law), and “insulting a public official due to their duty” (Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code).
Karabay was detained on 15 May 2025 over his remarks on YouTube and posts on social media, and was arrested on the same day. The indictment, issued 114 days later by the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, seeks a prison sentence of between 6 and 15 years.
The indictment names President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Can Tuncay, Prosecutor Ahmet Şahin, and Judge Hatice Kozan as complainants.
Karabay had previously been arrested on 9 November 2024 over the same posts and released on 18 November 2024. He was also sentenced to 2 years and 1 month in prison in another trial filed upon complaints by President Erdoğan and his children.
