21.10.2026 16:40
Journalist İsmail Arı was detained and then arrested on charges of “insulting a public official due to his duty” and “publicly disseminating misleading information” following a complaint by former RTÜK Chairman Ebubekir Şahin. Arı had also been arrested in March on the charge of “publicly disseminating misleading information” and was released in June after spending 75 days in prison.
Journalist İsmail Arı, who was taken into custody at the police station in Ankara where he had gone to give a statement, was arrested by the court to which he was referred. The news report or social media post that is the subject of the complaint has not yet been made public.
HE WENT TO GIVE A STATEMENT AND WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
BirGün reporter İsmail Arı was summoned yesterday at 15:30 to the Security Branch Directorate of the Ankara Police Department to give a statement. There, the custody order issued against Arı was notified to him. It was learned that the investigation was launched upon the complaint of former RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin.
THE COURT ISSUED AN ARREST DECISION
After spending the night at the police station, Arı was transferred to the courthouse around 10:00 today. The prosecutor's statement, which began at 12:00, lasted about 1 hour. Arı, whom the prosecutor's office referred to the court with a request for arrest, was arrested after his interrogation began at 16:00. According to BirGün's report, the arrest decision was issued within the scope of the charge of 'publicly disseminating misleading information to the public.' The relevant article of the Turkish Penal Code prescribes a prison sentence of 1 to 3 years for this crime.
HE HAD ALSO BEEN ARRESTED IN MARCH
Arı was taken into custody on March 21 in the Turhal district of Tokat, where he was visiting his family, as part of an investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Arı, who was brought to Ankara the next day, was arrested on the charge of 'publicly disseminating misleading information to the public' and sent to Sincan Prison. The indictment prepared against Arı included charges of 'publicly disseminating misleading information to the public' and 'violation of confidentiality.'
HE HAD BEEN RELEASED AFTER 75 DAYS
Arı, who remained in detention for about 75 days, appeared before a judge at his first hearing at the Ankara 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on June 5. Despite the prosecutor's request for the continuation of his detention, the court decided to release Arı without imposing judicial control measures. On June 18, the Presidency's Communications Directorate revoked Arı's press card on the grounds of a 'criminal record.'
DİSK BASIN-İŞ: JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME
DİSK Basın-İş made a statement on its social media account after Arı was taken into custody. In the union's statement, it said, 'Journalist İsmail Arı, while being tried today in one case, was taken into custody in another case. We are being told either get used to this pressure or be silent.' The union, which claimed that these practices aim to intimidate journalists through investigations, detentions, and arrests, called for an end to them, saying, 'End the pressure on journalists, release İsmail Arı. Journalism is not a crime.'
WHO IS İSMAİL ARI?
Born in Istanbul in 1996, İsmail Arı graduated from Gazi University Faculty of Communication, Department of Journalism. Working as a reporter in the Ankara bureau of BirGün newspaper, Arı reports on public institutions, foundations, the use of public resources, and political relations.