16 December 2025
On 16 December 2025, journalist Levent Gültekin was taken into custody in Istanbul on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information.” The arrest was announced by his lawyer via the social media platform X. Gültekin was reportedly detained at a café in Bebek around 01:20 a.m. and taken to the Istanbul Police Department.
In his police statement, Gültekin stated that the video in question was entirely composed of political commentary on current events, that no one was insulted by name, and that there was “no concrete determination of what misleading information” he allegedly disseminated.
Without a prosecutor’s interrogation, Gültekin was referred directly to the Criminal Judgeship of Peace and was released under judicial control. He was subjected to a travel ban and a requirement to check in once a week.