Turkish President Erdogan named press freedom enemy by Reporters Without Borders

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been included in the Reporters Without Borders list of enemies of press freedom for the fourth time. In the 2026 edition, the organization categorized Erdogan under “legal pressure” due to the use of judicial proceedings against journalists.

The list, released on November 2, includes 33 individuals and organizations categorized by the methods used to restrict media freedom: political, security-related, legal, economic, and social. Reporters Without Borders cites the prosecution and detention of journalists as evidence of systematic judicial harassment in Turkey. Since Erdogan assumed the presidency in 2014, the organization reports that 174 journalists have been arrested.

Specific cases highlighted include Ismail Arı of Birgün newspaper, who was arrested in October on charges of spreading misleading information via social media, and investigative journalist Tugba Tekerek, who was detained in September following an article regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Other mentioned cases include Deutsche Welle correspondent Alijan Uludag and local media head Yeliz Ayaz.