Bülent Şık
A writer, food engineer, and environmental activist, Şık was indicted in 2018 after he wrote articles discussing the results of a government study of pollution. In 2019, he was… More
Emre Soncan
Foreign military affairs correspondent and author Soncan was arrested in a purge of suspected followers of exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen, who was blamed for the July 2016 attempted coup.… More
Mümtaz’er Türköne
Police detained Türköne, a columnist for the daily Zaman, as part of a purge of suspected Gülenists after the failed July 2016 coup. Türköne was sentenced in 2018 to… More
Erol Önderoğlu
Önderoğlu, a journalist, activist, and correspondent for Reporters Without Borders, was arrested after standing in solidarity with and serving as a 'guest editor' for Özgür Gündem, a pro-Kurdish newspaper… More
İnan Altın Grup Yorum
Altın is a member of activist collective and band Grup Yorum. Since the band’s inception, its critical songs have angered the Turkish government and members have faced serious threats.… More
Necmiye Alpay
Alpay was detained following the 2016 coup attempt for her connection to pro-Kurdish daily Özgür Gündem. After four months in detention, she was conditionally released in December 2016. She… More
Ahmet Altan
Altan was detained after the 2016 coup attempt on spurious charges. After his life sentence was reduced to 10.5 years, he was released in 2019, but was promptly rearrested.… More
Mehmet Altan
In September 2016, authorities detained Altan and his brother Ahmet for allegedly giving subliminal messages "suggestive" of the July coup attempt during a television panel the night prior. Though… More
Ayşe Berktay
Alongside her literary career, Berktay is a staunch advocate for women’s and Kurdish rights. Initially sentenced in 2011 on terrorism charges after attending conferences on behalf of a pro-Kurdish… More
Çayan Demirel
Award-winning filmmaker Demirel was sentenced in 2019 to nearly 5 years in prison for “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” after screening Bakur, a film he co-directed with Ertuğrul Mavioğlu,… More