Overview
- A court in Ankara ordered Alican Uludağ, a Deutsche Welle correspondent, released from pretrial detention on Thursday after roughly three months in custody, but criminal charges remain pending.
- Prosecutors accuse Uludağ of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, spreading misleading information and denigrating Turkey based on posts on X; the president‑insult charge under Article 299 can carry more than four years in prison.
- Uludağ attended the 21 May trial by video from Silivri prison, a practice his lawyers and the Turkish Bar Association criticised as harming fair‑trial rights and limiting his courtroom participation.
- Uludağ has described harsh detention at Silivri, including overcrowded conditions, unhygienic cells and later isolation, and DW and German officials have called for the charges to be dropped.
- The case will resume on 18 September 2026 and has drawn sustained attention from rights groups and media bodies as an example of wider legal and procedural pressure on independent journalism in Turkey.