Turkish Journalist Sentenced to 10 Months for Award-Winning Investigative Report; What are the Charges?
Turkey: An Istanbul court has sentenced journalist Asuman Aranca to prison for reporting on a high-profile murder case. Aranca violated the confidentiality of an investigation into an award-winning expert report related to the 2021 murder of Sinan Ateş, former leader of the Turkish nationalist Grey Wolves (Ulkü Ocakları) group.
The Istanbul Second Criminal Court convicted Aranca of "breaching the confidentiality" of the investigation but suspended her sentence, meaning it will not be enforced unless Aranca commits another crime within a certain period.
The court ruled that Asuman Aranca, a reporter for the independent news outlet T24, violated the confidentiality of the investigation with her article, "T24 receives expert report on Sinan Ateş murder: Grey Wolves chairman reportedly asked for Ateş's address."
Aranca's report revealed that Ateş's murder had been planned months in advance and that the then-chairman of the Grey Wolves had requested his whereabouts. Her report received journalism awards from the Progressive Journalists Association, the Journalists Association of Turkey, and the Ankara Journalists Association.
Aranca's report was awarded the 2024 Investigative Journalism Award by the Journalists Association of Turkey. The association criticized the journalist's sentencing, saying in a statement, "We will continue to maintain that journalism is not a crime and will stand against all forms of pressure on journalists reporting in the public interest."
On December 30, 2022, Sinan Ateş was shot dead in Ankara. The murder sparked widespread controversy because he was the former head of the ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves, the paramilitary wing of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an organization aligned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The case has been marred by allegations of political interference by right-wing MHP leaders, who are accused of plotting the murder.
📌 Asuman Aranca given jail term
— Expression Interrupted (@ExInt24) October 21, 2025
An İstanbul court sentenced Aranca to 10 months in prison for “violating the confidentiality of investigation” at the end of the 4th hearing held today. The sentence was deferred.
Aranca was on trial over her reporting on the Sinan Ateş murder. pic.twitter.com/wLw4Bqvtj0
Aranca and her lawyer, Mustafa Gökhan Teksen, have denied the charges framed in court. The prosecution argued that the publication of the expert report violates the limits of press freedom and is not in the public interest. Aranca's lawyer stated, "Neither the prosecution nor any other authority has the right to dictate how journalism should be conducted."
The lawyer argued that no party had filed a complaint about Aranca's report. However, the court rejected this argument and sentenced journalist Asuman Aranca to a one-year sentence, which was later reduced to 10 months, and later stayed the execution of the sentence.
Turkey has been a dangerous country for journalists for many years. The 2025 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ranked Turkey 159th out of 180 countries. According to the press freedom monitoring group, Expression Interrupted, 28 journalists are currently behind bars in Türkiye.
