TGC visits journalist Ali Çağatay, who is being held in Silivri

The Board of Directors of the Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) visited journalist Ali Çağatay, who is being held at the Marmara Closed Penal Execution Institution No. 1 L-Type Prison in Silivri.

According to the statement made by the TGC, the visit was carried out on behalf of the Board of Directors by TGC President Vahap Munyar, Secretary General Sibel Güneş, and Treasurer Hakan Güldağ. Çağatay was detained due to a social media post regarding the kidnapping of Erhan Karaal, Deputy General Manager of İBB Culture A.Ş., and was arrested on June 26, 2026.

It was stated that journalist Çağatay faces charges of "publicly disseminating misleading information" and "insulting the institutions and organs of the state." It was reported that Çağatay, who spent four days in Metris Prison, was later transferred to the prison in Silivri.

I have worked for many of the country's important media organizations for years. I am accredited to attend meetings of all public institutions, including the MIT. Like every journalist who does their job well, I am in pursuit of reporting the truth. But unfortunately, I was arrested for this reason.

In his meeting with the TGC delegation, Çağatay stated that this was the first time in his professional life that he had been detained and arrested, and that his social media post was cited as the reason. Çağatay said, "My arrest is contrary to the Constitution and the laws. The prosecutor arrested me without even seeing me."

Stating that he was handcuffed behind his back while being taken to the Istanbul Police Department on the night he was detained and that his photo was leaked to the media, Çağatay said, "As a journalist who has dedicated many years to journalism, I did not deserve this."

CALL FOR RELEASE FROM THE TGC

In a statement issued after the visit, the TGC Board of Directors called for Çağatay's release. The statement said, "As the Journalists Association of Turkey, we demand the immediate release of journalist Ali Çağatay and call for an end to practices that undermine press and freedom of expression."

Çağatay stated that his health in prison is good and that he has access to his medication, and thanked the professional organization TGC for the solidarity visit. He said he hopes his indictment will be prepared as soon as possible, that he will appear in court, and that he will regain his freedom.

Born in Malatya in 1957, Ali Çağatay is a graduate of the Gazi University Faculty of Communication. Starting his career as a parliamentary reporter at the ANKA News Agency, Çağatay worked as a reporter, news manager, editor, coordinator, and programmer at numerous media organizations including Posta, Radikal, Kanal D, ATV, TV8, CNN Türk, Bloomberg HT, Habertürk, Ekotürk TV, and Radio Sputnik.