Meral Danyıldız
The detained BirGün reporter İsmail Arı will stand before a judge for the first time tomorrow at the Ankara 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Calls continue to pour in for the first hearing of the trial in which Arı, who was arrested on allegations of "publicly disseminating misleading information" and "violation of confidentiality", is being prosecuted. Press professional organisations, including the Press Council, Press Labour Union of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Türkiye (Disk Basın-İş), Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD), Journalists Association (TGC), Union of Press, Publication, Postal and Telecommunication Workers (Kesk Haber-Sen) and the Journalists' Union of türkiye (TGS), made a call to gather outside the courtroom. In the call issued, it was conveyed that a press statement will be held by gathering in front of the Ankara Courthouse at 13:00, after which the trial will be monitored. The statement also recalled the words of İsmail Arı: "I have been preparing for my hearing on 5 June and my defence for a while now. I am faced with a tremendous unlawfulness and persecution. Do not leave me alone on 5 June to protect your right to information, journalism, and democracy. I will not merely defend myself; I will defend journalism at the same time."
Numerous messages of support and calls also came for Arı from artists, writers, journalists, and press professional organisations. Intellectuals who sent messages to our newspaper for the detained BirGün reporter İsmail Arı stated that journalism cannot be imprisoned. Ahead of the hearing, journalism professional organisations, press freedom institutions, and media representatives conveyed the message that Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code, which regulates the offence of "publicly disseminating misleading information", has been used in recent years as an instrument of pressure in investigations and lawsuits targeting journalists.
The messages of support sent to our newspaper for İsmail Arı are as follows…
Artist Şebnem Sönmez: İsmail Arı is an exemplary individual who does his job properly, possesses high professional ethics, and works for the freedom of information and expression for all of us. His unlawful detention is the imprisonment of freedom of expression, journalism, and superior standards of professional ethics. I stand by İsmail and all the valuable virtues he represents during his first appearance in court on 5 June 2026. Dear İsmail, tomorrow is my birthday. The most beautiful gift for me would be for you to regain your freedom tomorrow. I embrace you with all my heart, hoping that we will overcome all the evils and the lawlessness surrounding us together.
Translator and Author Murat Uyurkulak: We know that İsmail Arı is in pursuit of the truth; that he exposes theft, injustice, unfairness, oppression, and cruelty, and that he is on the inside for this very reason. Those who imprisoned İsmail also know he is innocent. In fact, they know it best of all! Let us not stand idly by whilst the life of a talented, courageous and honest journalist, a bright young man, is stolen from him; whilst he is kept apart from his loved ones and the work he loves so dearly. Tomorrow, İsmail Arı will stand before a judge for the first time. Let us not leave him alone! Let us pack and overflow the inside, outside, and surroundings of that courtroom!
Poet and Author Ataol Behramoğlu: If İsmail Arı has a fault, it is that he is a real journalist. It is that he is not a sycophant for the ruling power. İsmail Arı must be released. Journalism cannot be detained; it cannot be banned. Let us attend his hearing and stand up for İsmail Arı.
Artist Nur Sürer: I do not look at whether a journalist is good, bad, right-wing, or left-wing. I find journalism valuable and place great importance on it. These people are the source of news. I find their imprisonment utterly wrong and unjust; I cannot conceive of a world without its journalists. I am glad they exist.
Author Ayfer Tunç: In this age where seeing, hearing, speaking, thinking, and even feeling are practically forbidden, we must stand by brave hearts to avoid being plunged into darkness. İsmail Arı is one of these brave hearts. We stand by him.
Artist Levent Üzümcü: Our journalist friend İsmail Arı is a journalist who is only thirty years old. He is currently inside because of the news stories he reported. He has been detained for over 70 days. He will stand before a judge for the first time on 5 June. We expect him to be released at this hearing.
Author Ahmet Ümit: İsmail Arı is an honourable journalist who does his job exceptionally well. His place is not within four walls, but by the side of the public. İsmail Arı must be released as soon as possible...
Artist Sabahat Akkiraz: İsmail Arı "has been stolen from his public for seventy days." While he was behind those four walls, corruptions did not stop, and unlawfulness did not stop. But we know that İsmail Arı is a journalist. He is paying a price for the right of all of us to learn the truth. "After all, the end of winter will be spring," and İsmail Arı will continue to expose corruptions and unlawfulness, and continue to practice journalism on behalf of us all. Journalism is not a crime. Release the journalists.
Artist Ceylan Ertem: İsmail Arı is a fellow journalist whom I follow with admiration, performing his profession with great courage and a responsibility for the public interest. When he comes out, I would like to meet him face-to-face and shake his hand for his courage. I have always stood by honourable journalists who pursue the truth and defend the public's right to information; I will continue to do so hereafter. I believe that journalism is not a crime but an indispensable element of democracy; I wish for the freedom and peace of mind of İsmail and all journalists who carry out their duties properly in this manner.
Media Ombudsman Faruk Bildirici: We were chatting with friends at BirGün's Ankara Bureau. İsmail Arı was also among us. In those days, a new newspaper was being established; there were also projects to set up a television channel. They were trying to poach some names from the media market; they were offering astronomical amounts of money. İsmail was also one of the names they interviewed for a transfer, but he did not accept the offer. I asked him why he did not accept. Just as I suspected, he certainly needed the money, but money was not his priority. In fact, he had gone to the meeting merely out of courtesy so as not to be rude. "They could not explain a trustworthy editorial policy to me. Besides, I started journalism at BirGün. Here, we practice independent journalism without a boss. We are a harmonious team." He could not be sure whether he would be able to practice journalism there. He thought that he could practice the journalism he believed in most comfortably at BirGün. I do not know how much he noticed, but at that moment, I looked at him with envy. He was a passionate journalist. As a matter of fact, he was over the moon when he wrote that Turkish Red Crescent was selling tents while people were waiting for tents after the earthquake disaster, or when he reported on the millions of liras worth of robbery at the Yunus Emre Foundation, or when he conveyed the Erdoğan family's relationship with foundations. Because he is a journalist who lives for news, who rises along with his story when he catches a major scoop… A journalist who, even if they throw him into prison 40 times, will practice journalism again when he comes out, will never take a step back, and whose pen cannot be bent… It is no coincidence that the rulers chose him as a target.
Journalist Timur Soykan: İsmail, I have always been honoured to be your colleague. They stole 72 days from your life. Because you did not become a partisan; you did not act as a hack writer for the ruling power. Because you did not sit at palace banquets and read out the spoon-fed questions placed before you; you wrote about what was stolen from the public's table. Because you did not become one of those feeding off the darkness of religious sects; you became the cry of children exploited in that darkness. Because you did not close your eyes to the thieves stealing the public's money at the Yunus Emre Foundation; you became the one who exposed the scandalous corruption. In short, you were imprisoned because you stood against those who rob and exploit the public, rather than being in their service. But even within four walls, you have been far freer than those who betray their profession and the public. I hope we will meet in freedom on 5 June. You are the honour of this profession.
Journalist Alican Uludağ: İsmail Arı is in prison entirely because he practiced journalism, because he fulfilled the public's right to receive information. His detention today means the prevention of journalistic activities. This is a violation of both freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The attempt to silence him is actually an attempt to mute the voice of society. İsmail has been tried under arrest for nearly 3 months in a lawsuit where he will ultimately be acquitted. Yet, he should not have remained detained for even a single day. His release on 5 June is merely a requirement of justice.
Journalist Barış Terkoğlu: İsmail Arı means a walking piece of news. Those who imprison him want to imprison unwanted truths along with İsmail. They also want to cover up the abuses in the dormitories of religious sects, the extravagance in the Directorate of Religious Affairs, the corruption in Kızılay, the nepotistic staffing in the state, and the dark dealings of gangs. Naturally, İsmail's issue does not consist of İsmail alone. I hope he will come out on Friday and continue the journalism he maintained in prison out in freedom.
ÇGD: İsmail Arı sometimes became the voice of those who lost their relatives in the earthquake, and sometimes conveyed a woman's cry to society. When you bring all of these to the agenda, unfortunately, you become a target in our country. This stick has stood before us in recent years as Article 217/A of the TCK. While İsmail is detained, the entire society deprived of this right to information is in fact imprisoned. For this reason, we say that when journalists are targeted, it is not just that individual, but the entire society, the right to information, and steps to protect the public interest that are targeted. This turns into a blow dealt fundamentally to democracy. Standing up for İsmail Arı is standing up for journalism, standing up for the right to information, and standing up for facts and truths.
TGS: We know that what İsmail did is a pure journalistic activity, the BirGün reader knows it, and the prosecutor who prepared the indictment knows it too. But this system forces us to shout out the truth that everyone knows over and over again: İsmail Arı is a good journalist, and journalism is not a crime! What happened at the end of the day? İsmail was kept behind bars for 75 days, prevented from performing his profession, and fear/anxiety was instilled perhaps not in him, but especially in his colleagues at the beginning of their careers. Through him, all journalists were told to "watch their step." I have full faith that he will be released at the first hearing, but that is not enough. He must be acquitted immediately.
TGC: If the Republic of Türkiye is a democratic society, it must be known that the raison d'être of the press is to enlighten the public about all events of public concern in an objective manner that reflects the truths. Criticising and warning the ruling power and administrators regarding problems that negatively affect the public and harm the public interest is a sine qua non of this raison d'être. Article 28 of the Constitution and Article 3 of the Press Law No. 5187 also regulate this duty of the press. If the news is true, if the news is current, if there is public interest in its publication, and if the content is expressed accurately, this news is reported by journalists. Journalism is not a crime. We demand that our colleague be set free at the first hearing.
Press Labour Union of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Türkiye: The problematic relationship that the ruling power in Türkiye has established with facts is becoming more visible with each passing day. Journalists who defend the public's right to information, take the public interest as a basis, and expose corruptions and unlawfulness are being targeted for silencing with the judicial stick instead of being rewarded. The incarceration of journalist İsmail Arı is one of the latest examples of this policy of oppression. Today, the issue is not solely İsmail Arı. The issue is whether journalists will be sent to prison for reporting news. The issue is whether the public's right to learn the truth will be protected. If a journalist is deprived of their freedom due to the news they report, the allegations they expose, and their effort to inform the public, the one suffering damage here is not merely the journalist, but democracy itself. Journalists who disturb the ruling power should not be in prison; they should be at their posts so that the public can learn the truths. For this reason, İsmail Arı and all journalists should not be in prison.
Press Council: Journalist İsmail Arı, a valuable member of the media who performs his duty properly, has been captive by fabricating a crime. The detention of journalists working under the guarantee of the Constitution and laws must now be abandoned. We demand immediate freedom for İsmail Arı. Democracies cannot be kept alive through unjust detentions and by silencing the pen. İsmail Arı is merely a journalist, tasked with conveying the truth to the public. Journalism is not a crime.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Gazeteciliği savunacağız,published in BirGün newspaper on June 4, 2026.
