Sezgin Tanrıkulu Submits Parliamentary Inquiry to Minister Gürlek: Freedom of Expression and Access Bans on the Agenda

Judicial Processes and Request for Statistics CHP Diyarbakır MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu has brought the current state of freedom of expression and digital rights in Turkey to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).
In the inquiry submitted for Justice Minister Akın Gürlek to answer, comprehensive statistics regarding judicial processes and access bans were requested.
Tanrıkulu specifically asked for the number of lawsuits filed under the charge of "insulting the President" as of January 2026, including their distribution by province.
The inquiry also sought detailed information on conviction rates in concluded cases and the legal outcomes of the trial processes.
Access Bans and the Disinformation Law Questioning the legal grounds for access bans imposed on websites and news content, Tanrıkulu brought up the number of decisions issued by criminal judgeships of peace.
The number of investigations and prosecutions carried out under the regulation publicly known as the "disinformation law" was also among the questions expected to be answered by the Ministry.
Tanrıkulu requested clarification on whether there is a mechanism within the Ministry to monitor the principles of proportionality and necessity in the decisions made by criminal judgeships of peace.
Constitutional Rights and Action Plan Emphasizing the freedom of expression and assembly guaranteed under Articles 26 and 34 of the Constitution, Tanrıkulu inquired about investigations opened due to protests and demonstrations in 2025 and 2026.
He questioned whether there is any legislative work aimed at decriminalizing critical thinking and asked for an explanation on whether an action plan has been prepared to prevent violations of freedom of expression.
The inquiry also requested data on the number of individuals detained solely for their expressions during January 2026.