Thousands rally in Türkiye against media crackdown

Thousands of people rallied in Istanbul and Ankara on Saturday against growing pressure on journalists in Türkiye, including arrests, media shutdowns and the appointment of state administrators over critical outlets.

Police put the crowd on the Asian side of Istanbul at at least 3,000, with at least 3,000 more in Ankara, according to reports of the demonstrations. Marchers, mostly journalists, rights activists and opposition representatives, carried photographs of jailed journalists and chanted “Enough!”, “We can no longer breathe!” and “We will not be silenced.”

The Turkish Journalists’ Union says authorities have jailed 11 journalists in the past two months and shut down several media outlets. Earlier this month, police raided Halk TV, one of Türkiye’s most-watched news channels, halting its broadcasts and installing a government-appointed administrator. Authorities also blocked the website and social media accounts of digital outlet T24 over what they described as “LGBT propaganda”.

Veteran journalist Zafer Arapkirli, a columnist for the BirGün daily, told Agence France-Presse the gathering was “not simply about standing up for journalists” but about defending society’s right to access information through independent media. Press freedom in Türkiye has faced increasing restrictions since the failed coup attempt of 2016.

Sources

• Agence France-Presse via The Straits Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/thousands-protest-in-turkey-over-journalists-arrests-media-shutdowns
• The Times of Israel (AFP): https://www.timesofisrael.com/thousands-in-turkey-rally-against-escalating-crackdown-on-media/
• Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/25/10-25-turkiye-media-crackdown-sv