Country
Türkiye
Government actions against journalists in Türkiye
RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Türkiye is in Western Asia, Asia. The record holds 11 incidents in which the government of Türkiye, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Detention and violence: 3 incidents · ladder
- Expulsion and visa denial: 2 incidents · ladder
- Funding and ownership pressure: 2 incidents · ladder
- Insult and defamation laws: 2 incidents · ladder
- Licensing and closure of outlets: 2 incidents · ladder
- Credential control: 1 incident · ladder
- Lawsuits against the press: 1 incident · ladder
- Prior restraint: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
2025
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 March 2025 | Türkiye: detention, injury and deportation of journalists covering protests, March 2025 | Detention and violence | Punish | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Unknown (2 April 2025) |
2023
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 November 2023 | Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' law | Insult and defamation laws | Punish | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Ongoing |
| 22 February 2023 | Türkiye: the broadcast regulator fines and suspends channels for earthquake coverage | Prior restraint | Pressure | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Sustained (22 February 2023) |
2022
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 January 2022 | Türkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas is arrested for a proverb about President Erdogan | Insult and defamation laws | Punish | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Ongoing (22 June 2023) |
| 14 January 2022 | Türkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas tried for insulting the president | Lawsuits against the press | Punish | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Ongoing (22 June 2023) |
2021
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2021 | Türkiye: the presidency's press card system is found restrictive by the country's top administrative court | Credential control | Pressure | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Reversed (1 April 2021) |
2019
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 January 2019 | Türkiye: Dutch freelance journalist Ans Boersma deported | Expulsion and visa denial | Punish | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Sustained (17 January 2019) |
2018
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 March 2018 | Türkiye: Dogan Holding sells its media outlets to Demiroren | Funding and ownership pressure | Silence | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Sustained (21 March 2018) |
2016
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 July 2016 | Turkey closes more than 100 media outlets by decree after a failed coup attempt | Licensing and closure of outlets | Silence | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Sustained (31 December 2016) |
| 4 March 2016 | Türkiye: court installs trustees at Zaman newspaper | Funding and ownership pressure | Silence | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Sustained (4 March 2016) |
1913
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 March 1913 | Ottoman Empire bars lawmakers and officials from editing newspapers and jails a leading editor | Licensing and closure of outlets | Silence | Mehmed V | Sustained (9 March 1913) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for Türkiye · Asia