Ankara court releases DW reporter Alican Uludag from detention as trial proceeds
Uludag spent 92 days in high-security custody before release, with his lawyer arguing the period constitutes pre-conviction punishment.
A court in Ankara has ordered the release of Deutsche Welle reporter Alican Uludag from detention, allowing him to leave custody while his trial for alleged offences against state institutions continues. The decision follows 92 days of incarceration for the journalist, who was detained in February and faces charges including insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and disparaging the Turkish state through 22 social media posts.
Uludag’s lawyer, Abbas Yalcin, welcomed the release but cautioned that the detention period could be interpreted as a punishment issued prior to conviction. Yalcin argued that even if Uludag were convicted, the time already served might exceed any potential sentence, stating that the detention effectively amounts to a pre-judgment penalty. He urged the court for an urgent decision on acquittal to bring the proceedings to a close.
During the hearing, Uludag appeared via video link rather than in person, a arrangement he described as a breach of his right to a fair defence. He denied all charges, asserting that he was objectively reporting on contentious issues such as the judicial system, human rights violations, and corruption. Uludag maintained that he had committed no crimes and had only exercised his professional duties, demanding an acquittal based on the constitutional guarantees of press and opinion freedom.
Deutsche Welle Director General Barbara Massing expressed relief at Uludag’s release but described the continuation of the legal proceedings as troubling. She noted that Uludag had spent most of his detention alone in a high-security cell at Silivri prison in Istanbul, far from his family in Ankara. Massing emphasised that Uludag was simply performing his role as a court reporter and stated that the arrest demonstrated how critical voices in Turkey are being deliberately intimidated.
The case highlights Turkey’s persistent struggles with press freedom, a metric that has seen the country slip four places to 163rd out of 180 in the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index. RSF chairman in Turkey, Erol Onderoglu, characterised the detention as 90 days of mistreatment inflicted on an investigative journalist. The next court hearing is scheduled for 18 September.
