Statement from the lawyer of detained journalist Alican Uludağ

Abbas Yalçın, the lawyer for detained journalist Alican Uludağ, stated that there is no legal basis for the ongoing investigation to be conducted in Istanbul. Emphasizing that the arrest decision is unlawful, Yalçın announced that they would appeal the ruling.

In his written statement, lawyer Abbas Yalçın provided details regarding his client's detention and arrest process.

HOW DID THE DETENTION PROCESS BEGIN?

Yalçın reminded that Alican Uludağ has lived in Ankara for 18 years and is an experienced judicial reporter who carries out his duties at the courthouses and high judicial institutions in Ankara. He described the process with the following words:

'Alican began his workday on February 19, as he has for 18 years. At 10:00 a.m., he made a post citing a press release from the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. That press release contained findings from an investigation into a structure known as the “Caspers,” indicating that some public officials were in close contact with the organization and were passing information regarding judicial investigations to the organization's leaders.

Alican quoted this statement and made an assessment expressing that the mafia no longer consists only of members, but that politicians, bureaucrats, judges, and prosecutors can also act in concert with these structures. The investigation was opened immediately after this post under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) on charges of “insulting judicial organs.” Since this crime is subject to permission, authorization was requested from the Ministry. However, this February 19 post is merely a pretext to give the investigation a legal appearance. Indeed, when it was understood that it was not possible to conduct an investigation based on this post, 22 separate posts from 2025 were retroactively added to the file. This time, accusations under TCK 299, namely insulting the President, and TCK 217/A, publicly spreading misleading information, were brought to the agenda.'

CRIME DATE AND JURISDICTION DISPUTE

Stating that the date of the crime was shown as February 19, 2026, in the referral for arrest, Yalçın expressed that this does not align with the content of the file. Yalçın said, 'This is not true. We understand from the file content that all the posts used as the basis for the “insulting the President” charge belong to 2025. The most recent one was posted about four months ago, and some date back a year. No complaint was filed by the President's lawyers for a year. The prosecutor's offices in Ankara did not open an investigation due to these posts either.'

Noting that despite this, an investigation was launched ex officio in Istanbul, and by the terrorism prosecutor's office at that, Yalçın stated that the file is being kept at the terrorism prosecutor's office despite the question they posed to the prosecutor. He stated that there is no legal basis for the investigation to be conducted in Istanbul.

Yalçın said that the President's residence address was shown as being in Istanbul as a justification, but that this is not a legally valid explanation for a President who effectively carries out his duties in Ankara.

POSTS ARE BASED ON NEWS AND DOCUMENTS

Stating that all of Uludağ's social media posts are based on the news he has reported, judicial decisions, official statements, and ongoing investigations,

Yalçın continued his statement as follows:

'Anyone can go and look at his Twitter account. When asked which post is misleading or which one contains an insult, no concrete answer can be given. We did not see any insults in any of these posts. During the judge's questioning, Alican said, “I don't even get a visa. I don't even apply for a visa. Because there has been a smear campaign against me on Twitter for years. I don't even get a visa so that it won't be said that I fled or am going to flee.” Despite this, an arrest decision is made for a person who was taken from his home and brought to Istanbul by citing a suspicion of flight. The justification for the arrest is that being caught at his home is the basis for the suspicion of flight. The posts subject to the accusation are in the file. There is no other evidence to be collected or tampered with, but another reason for the arrest is stated as evidence tampering.

We believe the arrest is unlawful and we will appeal the decision. However, even if the detention is to continue, it is possible for it to be carried out in a prison in Ankara. His two children and wife are in Ankara. Forcing his family to travel hundreds of kilometers to come to Istanbul is a clear grievance for both him and his family. This investigation should never have been opened. This arrest should never have happened. But if it was going to happen, it should not have been like this. We believe that all the procedures carried out are unlawful and we will make all necessary legal applications. Alican also said in his statement, “I never lied to the public. I did my job correctly. I will not take a step back from this, I will not be silent.” His message is very clear.'