The imprisonment of Yıldız Tar, a journalist who has worked for many years on human rights, LGBTI+ rights and freedom of expression, deepens concerns over the use of criminal investigations and pre-trial detention against journalists because of their professional work, in Turkey. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are calling on the Turkish authorities to release Yıldız Tar immediately.

Journalist Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief of LGBTQ+ rights publication Kaos GL, was arrested on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” after being detained on 23 June in pre-dawn police raids in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, ahead of a NATO summit. On 25 June, Yıldız Tar was remanded in pre-trial detention. During police questioning, Tar was not asked about NATO. Instead, investigators questioned why they had shared an interview criticizing the Turkish government’s “Year of the Family” policy, a nationwide initiative promoted by President Tayyip Erdogan’s government that emphasizes traditional family values.

According to the official questioning record, police asked: “Why did you share or make a statement about the discussion to be held under the title ‘Not the Year of the Family, but the Year of Struggle’ in response to our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Family on Jan. 13, 2025?” In his defense statement, Tar said Kaos GL is a legally registered association and media outlet recognized by Turkey’s Interior Ministry. “I have written various news reports, interviews, discussions and articles about the Year of the Family policies. All of them are part of my work as a journalist and fall within the scope of freedom of expression,” they said.

Tar added that they had never published any news report or article that could be considered terrorist propaganda. “As a journalist, let alone praising or encouraging terrorism-related crimes, I would never praise or encourage any act of violence,” he said. “I practice journalism and write to defend the fundamental rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community, of which I am a member, and to combat prejudice against that community. In my statements, I exercised my right to freedom of expression through criticism.”

“Together with its affiliate DISK Basin-Is, the EFJ believes that subjecting journalists to criminal sanctions for their reporting, public statements and social media posts made in the public interest undermines both press freedom and the public’s right to access information,” said EFJ President Maja Sever. “We call for the immediate release of Yıldız Tar, an end to the pre-trial detention, and for all judicial proceedings to fully comply with European and international human rights standards and the principles of a fair trial. We stand in solidarity with Yıldız Tar and with all the journalists who are currently imprisoned in Turkey, simply for doing their job”.

IFJ President Zuliana Lainez said: “Journalism is not a crime. The arrest and pre-trial detention of Yıldız Tar send an intimidating message to the entire profession and create a serious chilling effect on press freedom. No journalist should be deprived of their liberty for reporting, investigating, publishing opinions, or covering matters of public interest in the exercise of their professional duties. Yıldız Tar must be released immediately. Stop using the justice system as a weapon against the press.”