Detention of Furkan Karabay sparks backlash: Criticism of 'dawn raid'

Journalist Furkan Karabay has been detained due to a series of tweets he shared on his social media account. Lawyer Hüseyin Ersöz shared details regarding the reason for Karabay's detention. Furkan Karabay's statement-taking process at the Vatan Police Headquarters is ongoing.

Ersöz noted the following on his social media account:

"Journalist Furkan Karabay has been detained due to his X posts about the new Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, which CHP leader Özgür Özel also directed a series of criticisms toward. A search and seizure operation was carried out at his home in the very early hours of the morning. That public officials must endure even harsh criticism directed at them is a point underlined by Constitutional Court (AYM) and ECHR rulings. The detention of a journalist with what is effectively a 'dawn raid' can, as many legal experts have also correctly identified, be characterized as a 'punishment tool' beyond a mere precautionary measure."

On the other hand, Karabay was previously detained on December 28, 2023, at a police station in Istanbul, where he had gone to receive a notification, for reporting on the transcript of the trial in which Barış Saral of the Sarallar group was being tried. Later brought before a court, Karabay was arrested on the allegation of 'targeting a person involved in counter-terrorism' in a report where he addressed corruption and bribery allegations in the trial where Barış Saral was being tried.