Professional Organizations and Politicians React to Detention of Journalist Alican Uludağ

Detention and Charges Journalist Alican Uludağ was detained at his home in Ankara as part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. It was reported that Uludağ faces allegations of "publicly insulting the President" and "publicly spreading misleading information." While procedures at the police station continue, the manner of his detention and the legal process have sparked significant debate. Criticism of Legal Procedure Colleagues reacting to Uludağ’s detention argued that the method employed violated legal procedures. Journalist Bahadır Özgür stated that the charges were baseless and called for his release. Academic Ceren Sözeri and CHP Deputy Chairperson Gökçe Gökçen pointed out that issuing an order from Istanbul for a journalist residing in Ankara violates jurisdictional rules. Journalists Gökçer Tahincioğlu and Özlem Akarsu Çelik noted that despite promises of judicial reform, repressive practices against journalists continue. Professional Organizations: Journalism is Not a Crime The Journalists' Association of Turkey (TGC) issued a statement reminding that Uludağ is a professional who is always ready to provide testimony, and found it unacceptable that he was treated as a criminal beforehand. DİSK Basın-İş emphasized that the grounds for detention are directly related to journalistic activities and announced their support for their colleague. The organizations argued that such interventions restrict the public's right to information. Strong Political Reactions Statements from the political sphere criticized the use of the judiciary as a tool for punishment. CHP MP Okan Konuralp said the language used in the prosecutor's statement criminalized the journalist, while Gökçe Gökçen stated that fundamental legal principles were being ignored. Politicians and press representatives reiterated that Alican Uludağ should be released immediately.