Journalist Tolga Şardan Arrested in Recent Breaking News from the Internet
Journalist Tolga Şardan Arrested for Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information
On November 1, 2023, journalist Tolga Şardan was arrested by the court under the crime of “Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information to the Public”. This arrest came after a judicial report submitted by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) to the Presidency. Şardan was detained as part of an investigation initiated due to an article he wrote titled “What is in the ‘judicial report’ submitted by MİT to the Presidency?” on an online news site.
The arrest of Tolga Şardan has sparked reactions from various figures. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), expressed his disapproval of the decision on his social media account. Kılıçdaroğlu criticized those who consider journalism a crime and see journalists as enemies. He stated, “The arrest of journalist Tolga Şardan is a shameful decision. If you have a claim such as ‘publicly disseminating information that misleads the public,’ explain the report and let everyone know who is misleading the public and who is saying it! The honor of saying ‘We are journalists, we do journalism’ is enough.”
In response to the arrest, the Directorate of Communications’ Center for Combating Disinformation issued a statement. They declared that the article written by Tolga Şardan contained disinformation and that there is no such report by the MİT as claimed in the article.
The arrest of Tolga Şardan raises questions about press freedom and the ability of journalists to report on sensitive topics. It remains to be seen how this case will unfold and what implications it will have for journalism in the country.
