The imprisonment of Turkish journalist and media executive Hidayet Karaca is one of the starkest examples of how journalism and creative expression have been criminalized. He was arrested not for an investigative report, editorial, or act of violence, but for a fictional television drama. Karaca’s case exposes how judicial systems can be manipulated to silence dissent and reshape the media landscape. His case before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) stands as a critical warning for press freedom advocates worldwide.

A Career in Journalism

Hidayet Karaca was born in 1963 in Cankiri, Turkey and he entered journalism in 1994 after completing his education in Istanbul. He rose steadily through the media ranks over the following decades, eventually became General Coordinator of Samanyolu TV and Chief Executive Officer of the Samanyolu Media Group which was one of Turkey’s most influential private media organizations at the time.

The group operated multiple television channels, radio stations, and print publications broadcasting in several languages under his leadership. Samanyolu outlets reached audiences both inside and outside Turkey and became known for adopting a critical stance toward government policy. Karaca’s prominence as a media executive placed him at the centre of Turkey’s public debate under the diminished independent journalism.

Arrest Over a Television Script

Karaca was arrested on 14 December 2014 during a coordinated police operation targeting journalists and media professionals. He was accused of membership in a terrorist organization, despite no allegation that he possessed weapons, used violence, or directed armed activity.

The primary evidence against him was a fictional crime drama named Sefkat Tepe, broadcasted on Samanyolu TV in 2013. Prosecutors argued that a storyline involving a radical group constituted a covert operation designed to manipulate public opinion and justify earlier security actions. So, a television script was treated as criminal evidence!

However, the series had been approved in advance by Turkey’s media regulator, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) and this fact was ignored by the court and the prosecution. Therefore, a fictional narrative reinterpreted as psychological warfare and proof of criminal intent. Later, other accusations such as document forgery or manipulation of investigations were added to his case, but they were not supported by concrete evidence directly linking Karaca to operational acts.

Detention and Punitive Sentences

Karaca spent years in prolonged pre-trial detention, and he was later placed in solitary confinement, where he spent more than eight years. His family repeatedly raised concerns about his health and the psychological toll of extended isolation.

His legal ordeal expanded into multiple trials resulted in a series of extraordinarily severe sentences, including a 31-year prison term and an aggravated life sentence. Although Turkish law limits the effective length of imprisonment, the symbolic weight of these penalties underscored the punitive nature of the prosecutions. In 2024, Turkey’s Supreme Court annulled the aggravated life sentence due to procedural flaws while other convictions remained in force.

On 16 May 2023, Hidayet Karaca’s case reviewed before the European Court of Human Rights. In Karaca v. Turkey (Application No. 20661/15), the Court decided that Turkey had violated Karaca’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court found violations of unlawful detention, excessive pre-trial detention, and lack of effective judicial review under Article 5.

The ECtHR concluded that Karaca’s detention was based largely on speculation and association, not concrete evidence, and that it lasted for more than three years without meaningful judicial scrutiny. Turkey was ordered to pay €18,000 in damages.

An Ongoing Struggle

While the ECtHR ruling acknowledged serious violations of Karaca’s rights, it did not end his imprisonment. He has since filed a second application before the Court challenging the fairness of his conviction under the right to a fair trial. As of 2025, that case remains pending. Karaca has now spent more than 11 years in prison, making him one of Turkey’s longest-detained media figures.

Political Climate and Media Repression

Karaca’s detention occurred during a period of political transformation in Turkey, where executive control and a systematic crackdown on critical voices was increasing. Independent media outlets were closed, seized, or placed under trusteeship, while journalists faced prosecution under broadly defined anti-terror laws.

In the years following Karaca’s arrest, hundreds of journalists were investigated or imprisoned and approximately 200 media outlets were shut down. Turkey’s ranking in global press freedom indices plummeted, reflecting the rapid erosion of protections for free expression. Journalism was no longer treated as a democratic safeguard but as a perceived security threat.

Why His Case Matters

Hidayet Karaca’s imprisonment for a fictional television script is not a legal anomaly, but it is a symbol of how expression can be retroactively criminalized when judicial systems lose independence. When storytelling is treated as terrorism and journalism as treason, democratic safeguards erode rapidly.

Karaca v Turkey is more than a court case. It is a reminder that the freedom to write, broadcast, and imagine is inseparable from the rule of law, and that when those freedoms are suppressed, democracy itself is placed at risk.

BY BEYZA DENIZ

On June 25, around 4,500 gathered in Strasbourg demanding justice in Turkey, near the Council of Europe and ECtHR buildings. The fourth edition of the Strasbourg Justice Gathering took place on June 25 in front of the Council of Europe, continuing its mission to spotlight human rights violations in Türkiye. Organized by the Europe-based Peaceful Actions Platform, with Human Rights Solidarity as a co-organizer, this year’s event centered on the theme “Justice for All.” Around 4,500 Turkish expatriates gathered along Allée de la Robertsau, a 900-meter stretch near the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) buildings.

The demonstration began at 11:30 AM Central European Time with a march and chants, drawing participation from six members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Among the notable speakers were French MPs Emmanuel Fernandes and Sandra Regol, Spanish MP Laura Castel, Belgian MPs Benjamin Dalle and Christophe Lacroix, and German MP Vinzenz Glaser.

In their speeches, the parliamentarians highlighted systemic injustices in Türkiye, including the tragic death of 15-year-old Sümeyra Gelir—who succumbed to illness three months after being forced to care for her siblings following her mother’s arrest—and the ongoing imprisonment of opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

French MP Sandra Regol underscored the erosion of the rule of law in Türkiye since 2016, stating: “Innocent people are jailed on baseless terrorism charges. Prisons are overflowing 130 new facilities have been built in just a few years. Trials rely on prejudice, not evidence. The repression extends beyond Türkiye’s borders, with abductions abroad continuing unabated. Among Council of Europe members, Türkiye leads in prison overcrowding.”

Participants, including victims of post-coup decree (KHK) dismissals, renewed their call for the Council of Europe to enforce the Yalçınkaya ruling. They urged immediate compliance with ECtHR judgments in the cases of Yalçınkaya, Kavala, and Demirtaş, demanding an end to unlawful detentions that persist despite the court’s rulings.

Human rights activists protested in Strasbourg, wearing yellow T-shirts and holding banners, to denounce ongoing rights violations in Türkiye. The demonstration, near the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), drew around 4,500 people chanting slogans like “Justice for All” and “Children Do Not Belong in Prison.” Representatives from rights groups, including Human Rights Solidarity (HRS), submitted letters to ECtHR and Council of Europe officials, signed by 16 European associations, condemning Türkiye’s worsening rights record since 2016—including political imprisonments, press suppression, and unfair trials.

Protesters criticized Türkiye’s stalled legal system, urging the ECtHR to bypass exhausted domestic remedies and fast-track cases. They also slammed inadequate compensation in some rulings. The rally highlighted specific cases, like 15-year-old Sümeyra Gelir, who died after her mother’s arrest, and jailed opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, calling for international accountability.

Letter to Secretary-General Alain Berset

The letter addressed to Secretary-General Alain Berset demanded public recognition of Türkiye’s failure to comply with rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), particularly in the Yalçınkaya case, and called for the initiation of Article 46(4) violation proceedings. It also urged the Council of Europe to engage with oppressed communities and civil society actors—both within Türkiye and in the diaspora—as legitimate stakeholders in dialogue and reform efforts. Additionally, the letter emphasized the need for coordinated action among member states to uphold democratic values and the integrity of the ECtHR.

Ride for Rights

Under the banner Ride for Rights, Human Rights Solidarity (HRS) mobilized cyclists from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and France to raise global awareness about the ongoing oppression and unlawful practices in Türkiye through a unique and impactful advocacy initiative.

Last year, a dedicated team of five to six cyclists rode an impressive 900 kilometers, starting in the UK and passing through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France before joining the march in Strasbourg on October 2. This year, the campaign evolved into a relay-style event, with volunteer teams cycling in their respective countries to contribute to the cause. We extend our deepest gratitude to every cyclist who participated in this powerful display of solidarity.

Justice Wall

Alongside the demonstrations, HRS installed a massive Justice Wall measuring 20 meters long and 2.5 meters high next to the main stage. Over the course of a week, artists painted striking illustrations highlighting human rights violations in Türkiye on the upper section. These included portraits of prominent political prisoners like Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş, and Ekrem İmamoğlu; a tribute to 15-year-old Sümeyra Gelir, who tragically died from an epileptic seizure on April 3, 2025, after her mother, Melek Gelir, was imprisoned; crackdowns on Boğaziçi University students; suppression of journalists; the struggles of families affected by KHK decrees; and the forced replacement of elected officials in Kurdish and CHP-run municipalities with government-appointed trustees.

The lower section of the wall was reserved for participants, who left heartfelt messages and signatures in support of human rights, justice, democracy, and peace—transforming the installation into a powerful collective statement against injustice.

We came together for the second time in Strasbourg to reiterate our call for justice against rights violations in Turkey. Nearly 3 thousand people who have been subjected to rights violations in Turkey met in Strasburg, France, where the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe are located, and demanded urgent justice.

The second ‘Strasbourg Justice Meeting’ and ‘justice march’, the first of which was organised last year, was held today. The march protested against the silence of European political structures and legal institutions in the face of rights violation applications from Turkey.

Organised by a number of European human rights organisations including Human Rights Solidarity, the demonstration included a concert and various theatrical performances. Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party in the UK, also made a speech on the stage, supporting the protesters and criticising the ECHR for delaying its decisions. Famous NBA player and activist Enes Kanter and Norwegian theologian Dag Aakre took the stage and expressed their demands for justice.

Approximately 3 thousand people who left Turkey due to severe human rights violations they suffered in Turkey for about 10 years gathered on All de la Robertsau Street, where the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Council of Europe are located. Wearing yellow t-shirts and carrying yellow balloons and banners, the crowd expressed their demands for justice in front of the Council of Europe and the ECHR buildings after 12.00 pm. “Justice delayed is not justice! Victims are here, where is the court?” they chanted. Since no one from the Council of Europe greeted them, the victims left a letter with their demands at the door. The group then continued their march and stopped in front of the ECHR to present their letters to the officials of the institution.

LETTER TO THREE IMPORTANT EUROPEAN NAMES

Yasemin Aydın and Rumi Unal, representatives of the Peacefull Actions Platform, which represents hundreds of thousands of people whose rights have been violated, presented a letter addressed to three names holding important positions in European institutions. During the presentation of the letter, a theatrical performance was staged criticising the ECHR for issuing its judgements too late. A prison cell on wheels representing people who have been imprisoned for years also took place during the march.

The letter read as follows:

“Inhumane practices against all opposition groups in the country continue unabated. These widespread and systematic violations have been characterised as ‘crimes against humanity’ by the relevant UN bodies. Once again, no progress has been made on the more than three thousand educational institutions, thousands of legal associations and at least $32 billion in private assets confiscated after 15 July. Tens of thousands of women, the elderly, the sick and hundreds of babies under the age of six are still being held in prisons for political reasons. Dozens of people continue to be arrested on hollow charges on an almost daily basis. The hope of thousands of people systematically subjected to gross human rights violations is that the Council of Europe and the ECtHR, which have the authority to take binding decisions on Turkey, will enforce the law. It is essential that these institutions take their legal position on these acts of crimes against humanity without further delay and fulfil their obligations immediately. We are grateful for some of the judgements of the ECtHR during this time, which have been a breath of fresh air for the victims of political repression. However, we expect the Court, as soon as possible, to stop ignoring the fact that more than half a million people are being persecuted simply for exercising their fundamental rights, such as subscribing to a newspaper, having a bank account or sending their children to legally operating schools, joining a religious chat group or using a mobile communication app.”

INJUSTICES HIGHLIGHTED

As in the previous year, this year, as well as foreign guests, people who have been subjected to rights violations in Turkey and their families made speeches at the Justice Gathering. Melek Cetinkaya, mother of Taha Furkan Cetinkaya, a military student who was released after 6 years in prison, lawyer Elif Buyukozturk, teacher Halit Tonbul, teacher Gonca Kara who lost her two children Gulsum and Mustafa in the Aegean Sea, academic Salih Hosoglu, Nesrin Kisi, wife of torture victim Zabit Kisi, were among the speakers.