Turkey arrests two journalists under disinformation law

Turkish authorities have arrested two more journalists under the country’s 2022 disinformation law, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Ali Tarakçı, a YouTube broadcaster, was arrested on September 26 following a post on X predicting the resignation of a high-ranking minister. His X account has since been blocked in Turkey. Fatih Ergin, the news coordinator for the nationalist daily Nefes, was arrested on September 28 in Istanbul. His detention relates to a social media post regarding the death of Turgay Tamer, a doctor involved in a reopened investigation into a 2011 death in custody.

Both individuals are being investigated under Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code, a provision enacted in 2022 that carries prison sentences of one to three years for disseminating information deemed to cause fear, panic, or concern regarding public order, security, or health. The CPJ reported that more than a dozen journalists have been detained or arrested under this specific legislation since the start of 2026, alleging that the law is being used to silence the press.