NECİP F. BAHADIR
Courtrooms in Turkey have been busy handing down verdicts on journalists one after another. In the “Expert Witness” case, five employees of Halk TV were acquitted. The judiciary acted swiftly, delivering its ruling at the very first hearing. Suat Toktaş, the defendant who had been imprisoned in Silivri, was reunited with his family, profession, and freedom after 34 days behind bars. Toktaş was forced to spend 34 days in a cell “for nothing.”
Some may say, “What’s 34 days?” Compared to journalists who have spent years in prison, yes, it may seem short. But isn’t even “one hour” in prison too much if the imprisonment is unjust and unlawful? In this world, “one can live without bread, but not without freedom.”
Did the judges who ordered Toktaş’s arrest 34 days ago not know their ruling was unlawful? Of course, they did. I am sure they deliberately and willfully signed off on this injustice.
That’s the real tragedy. Otherwise, one could say, “Humans make mistakes…” and tolerate it. But this isn’t just a mistake. Do the judges who ordered the arrest and rejected the appeal ever think, “We deprived an innocent man of his freedom for 34 days”? Can they look Suat Toktaş in the eye? Not just Toktaş—can they face their colleagues, their children at night, and not feel a pang of conscience? That is, if they have one left…
Suat Toktaş is one of the lucky journalists. He never lacked visitors. Lawyers and MPs visited him regularly, and he was frequently taken out of his cell. His employer stood firmly behind him, ensuring he was not forgotten through continuous coverage. That’s exactly how it should be. As a fellow journalist, I am happy about the acquittal of Toktaş and the other four journalists. I know Toktaş a little—he is a calm, humble man, deeply focused on his work. He is not a “fighter,” but he does not bow to injustice either. Prison took nothing away from Toktaş’s honor. The real loser here is not Toktaş or journalism, but the judiciary and the country’s reputation. His 34-day imprisonment will be remembered as a “shameful ruling” of the AKP judiciary.
Toktaş was welcomed with joy by his family and colleagues at a facility five kilometers from the prison. Even though it was just 34 days, the experience and emotions weighed on him:
“I woke up at 6:30 in the morning. I’ve had two lumbar hernia surgeries, so I am very tired. When we chose our channel’s slogan, ‘You are not alone,’ we knew what we were saying. But it’s strange to see it from the inside. I’ve never been a public figure; I preferred to stay in the background. Yet here I am, thrust into the spotlight. But it’s not a big deal; these things happen… You have to face them.”
That’s how it should be—journalism is not a crime, and news reporting cannot be put on trial. The AKP has added another “shame” to its record.
Baseless Cases
Another piece of good news was the acquittal of Sözcü columnists, including Emin Çölaşan. Fortunately, none of them had been imprisoned. It was a lengthy legal process. Initially, the court sentenced the journalists to “three years and six months” in prison. The Supreme Court overturned the ruling. Seven defendants were retried, and the court followed the Supreme Court’s decision, acquitting them all.
Their so-called crime? “Knowingly and willingly aiding FETÖ.”
Even if you ignore the others, accusing someone like Emin Çölaşan of such a charge requires a complete loss of reason. In this country, Çölaşan was prosecuted for “FETÖ”!
This alone is proof of how absurd the cases labeled “FETÖ-related” have been. Because Çölaşan is a well-known public figure, his case gained attention. But in courtrooms across Anatolia, countless absurd cases were filed, and many innocent people were arrested and sentenced. Prosecuting Çölaşan for “FETÖ” was a privilege reserved for the AKP judiciary.
It reminds me of the famous Bekri Mustafa joke. You could adapt it to this case: If someone asks what’s happening in Turkey, just say, “Emin Çölaşan was prosecuted for FETÖ.” That alone says it all.
This absurdity is not just a national embarrassment but a global one. It will go down in the history of journalism and law. After the AKP, law schools will study it as a thesis topic. If Levent Kırca were alive, he would have turned this inexplicable situation into comedy.
Should we laugh or cry at the state of this country? Or should we lament, “We laugh at our miserable state”? Or perhaps recite this poem:
“So deep a crisis we have sunk into, indeed, / There’s no time for pleasure, only grief to heed! / Act now, for we have become a laughingstock to the world…”
Emin Çölaşan, though acquitted in this bizarre case, was still stunned. In his column, he wrote:
“My dear readers! I could have imagined anything happening in this world, but never did I think I would be prosecuted for being a FETÖ member. But it happened! No matter what anyone says, there is no press freedom in Turkey. The pressure we witness is the clearest sign of that. I have spent 48 years in this profession without a break, and if I am saying this, please take it seriously. Anyway, yesterday, we broke free from our shackles. I hope the same happens soon for all our imprisoned colleagues, who have been sentenced despite having committed no crime.”
So, who really lost? Çölaşan and his colleagues? Or the AKP judiciary and government? Or the entire country? This case will never be forgotten—it will be remembered for years as “AKP’s disgrace.” Another file has been added to the museum of shame.
Prison Sentence for a Condolence Message!
Unlike his colleagues, Kazım Güleçyüz from Yeni Asya newspaper was not so lucky. His crime was enormous (!)—he was arrested for writing a condolence message for Fethullah Gülen. He spent 57 days in prison. He felt the cold of Silivri. He was released at his first hearing. The AKP judiciary stole “57 long days” from a journalist.
Perhaps the only case of its kind in the world—being arrested and prosecuted for offering condolences. Neither religion nor humanity allows for such a thing.
The 28th High Criminal Court of Istanbul ruled against Güleçyüz. It considered a simple condolence message a crime and sentenced him to one year and three months in prison. The court deferred the sentence under the condition that he commits no further crimes during a five-year probation period. So yes, Güleçyüz won’t go to jail, but his case remains open. If he “commits another crime,” he will be imprisoned. A true “Sword of Damocles” situation.
Güleçyüz understands this well:
“This is an intimidation tactic. We will appeal…”
Let this be recorded in the annals of legal history. In the AKP’s Turkey of 2025, expressing condolences was deemed a crime, and the person who did so was sentenced to prison.
One of the many “shameful pages” of the AKP government.
One day, from Erdoğan to the most ordinary AKP member, all their grandchildren will turn these pages and feel ashamed of their ancestors’ actions. They will not remember their fathers or grandfathers with respect.
Because they will ask: “How could they do this?”
