Amnesty International calls for release of Alican Uludağ: 'He must be released immediately and unconditionally'

Amnesty International has issued a call to Turkish authorities ahead of the first hearing in the trial of Deutsche Welle reporter Alican Uludağ, who is being held in pre-trial detention. The organization stated that Uludağ “cannot be put on trial for doing journalism,” and demanded his immediate and unconditional release, as well as the dropping of all charges against him.

According to the statement, the first hearing of the case, in which Uludağ is being tried for 22 social media posts, will be held on May 21 at the Ankara 57th Criminal Court of First Instance. Uludağ faces charges of “insulting the President,” “publicly disseminating misleading information,” and “publicly degrading judicial officials.”

Amnesty International emphasized that journalists should not be pressured for reporting on matters of public interest, such as allegations of corruption. The statement called for the protection of freedom of expression and an end to the use of criminal investigations to create a chilling effect on journalists.

All journalists and other media workers who are subjected to human rights violations, criminalized, and deprived of their liberty solely because of their journalistic activities must be released immediately.

— Ruhat Sena Akşener, Director of Amnesty International Turkey

Akşener stated that Alican Uludağ is one of these journalists, adding, “Authorities must release Alican Uludağ immediately and unconditionally, and the charges in this case must be dropped.”

''POSTS EVALUATED WITHIN THE SCOPE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION''

The organization reported that it had reviewed the transcripts of Uludağ’s 22 posts and determined that these posts fall within the scope of freedom of expression, which is guaranteed under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The statement noted that Uludağ was arrested on February 20 by the Istanbul 9th Criminal Judgeship of Peace on charges of “insulting the President” under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). It was stated that the charges are based on 22 social media posts, 21 of which date back to 2025 and one to February 2026.

Amnesty International also argued that Article 217/A of the TCK, which regulates the crime of “publicly disseminating misleading information,” Article 299, which regulates the crime of “insulting the President,” and Article 301, which includes the crime of “degrading the Turkish nation and state organs,” should be repealed.

The organization stated that these articles are incompatible with international human rights standards and create a chilling effect, particularly on journalists and individuals expressing critical views. The statement noted that according to Ministry of Justice statistics, investigations were opened against more than 55 thousand people in 2024 for the crimes of “insulting the President” and “degrading the Turkish state,” and that lawsuits were filed against 17 thousand 895 people under these articles in the same year.

Amnesty International also reiterated its concerns regarding Article 217/A, which was added to the penal code in 2022 and is known in the public as the “disinformation law.” The statement indicated that due to the “excessively broad and vague” structure of the article, it exerts pressure on freedom of expression and leaves journalists facing investigations, prosecutions, arrests, and penalties.

News Source: 12punto