28 March 2025
Joakim Medin, a correspondent for Dagens ETC, who had come to Turkey to cover the protests that erupted following the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, was arrested.
28 April 2025
The prosecution prepared two indictments against Medin.
In the indictment on the charge of “insulting the President” (Turkish Penal Code, Article 299), Medin was accused over his reporting on a protest in Stockholm in January 2023. In that report, he shared a social media post regarding Turkey’s NATO process and a new anti-terror law:
“Today the government presented the new terror law despite the criticisms of the Legislative Council (Lagrådet). The government linked the law to Turkey’s demands in the NATO process, and now many Kurdish organisations fear what the law will entail.”
In the same indictment, Medin was also accused for his reporting on 8 August 2023, where he included a photo of an effigy of Erdoğan holding an LGBT+ flag. Medin wrote in the article:
“During Saturday’s Pride March in Stockholm, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, two government leaders were seen among the crowd. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström attended. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also attended, but only in the form of a costumed mannequin wearing a latex mask.”
The prosecution argued that both reports “offended the honour and dignity of Erdoğan.” The indictment requested between one and four years of imprisonment for Medin. He was scheduled to appear before the Ankara Criminal Court of First Instance on 30 April 2025.
30 April 2025
The first hearing was held at the Ankara 79th Criminal Court of First Instance. Medin was not physically brought to court but attended via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) from Marmara (Silivri) Prison, where he was detained.
The hearing was monitored by Jonas Sjöstedt (European Parliament), Ulrika Westerlund (Swedish Parliament), Malena Mard (Sweden’s Ambassador to Ankara), Martin Roux (Reporters Without Borders – RSF), DEM Party MP Ceylan Akça, and representatives from the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (DİSK Basın-İş) and the Journalists’ Association.
The court sentenced Medin to 11 months and 7 days in prison but deferred the announcement of the verdict (HAGB), effectively suspending the sentence.
16 May 2025
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that Medin had been released and was on his way back to Sweden. He stated that the release was secured through the discreet but effective diplomatic efforts of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its European partners.
