8 February 2025
BirGün newspaper’s Managing Editor Yaşar Gökdemir was detained on the evening of 8 February together with Publishing Coordinator Berkant Gültekin and reporter Uğur Koç. The three journalists were taken into custody over the report titled “A visit from pro-government daily Sabah to Akın Gürlek in his office”, which stated: “Abdurrahman Şimşek, News Coordinator of Sabah newspaper, visited İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, who is referred to by the opposition as the ‘mobile guillotine’.”
They were accused under Article 6/1 of the Anti-Terror Law of “targeting a public official engaged in counter-terrorism”. After being questioned at İstanbul Police Headquarters, they were referred to İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse.
Following the prosecutor’s interrogation, Gültekin was released, while Koç and Gökdemir were released under judicial control, including a ban on leaving the country and an obligation to sign at the police station once a week. The detentions were protested in several cities including İstanbul, İzmir, Denizli and Ankara.