Turkish journalist jailed over social media post using president's surname

Turkish journalist İrem Delice has been jailed following an investigation into a social media post regarding the death of a local woman. The incident stems from a report by the news outlet Aydın Denge in Aydın province, which published a death notice for a woman named Gülşen Erdoğan.

While the full article identified the deceased, a social media image used to promote the story featured the phrase ‘Erdoğan passed away’. Prosecutors allege this constitutes the dissemination of misleading information, as the surname is shared by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The newspaper maintains that the publication followed routine procedures for local death notices and had no intent to deceive the public.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for Delice’s immediate release, characterizing the arrest as an abuse of Turkey’s 2022 disinformation law to criminalize journalism. Although Delice and three colleagues were initially released under judicial supervision, a prosecutor's appeal led to her subsequent detention pending further investigation.