Democratic regression continues to curtail women’s voices in Turkey

Cemre Ulker, Journalist. Human rights expert
Photo Credit: www.ilketv.com.tr

Democratic governance embodies more than a right to vote; it provides an intersectional framework where freedom of expression, independent institutions, the rule of law, and women’s rights cohesively work together to ensure that the fundamental human rights of all citizens are respected and protected. Despite the cruciality of democracies for flourishing in peaceful and just societies, according to the V-Dem Democracy Report 2025, it is a dire fact that, for the first time in two decades, nearly 72% of the global population now lives in autocratic regimes.

Turkey also has its share of this global wave of accelerating geopolitical reordering. As a hybrid regime on the edge, Turkey is swiftly moving towards extreme polarization and embracing practices of autocratization with state-led actions to silence critical journalists, limit freedom of expression, and politically influence judiciary independence. The resurgence of extreme political pressure on all spheres of life has a detrimental influence on human rights and surely, disproportionate implications on women`s lives, furthermore on women media professionals.

Freedom House continues to list Turkey in its “Not Free” category, while Article 19`s Global Expression Report notes this hybrid state as “In Crisis”. As the right to access independent, credible information and space spaces for freedom of expression is among the pillars of sustainable positive peace, it is imperative that crackdowns on the rule of law also follow a similar pattern. Due to the increasing presence of politically motivated judiciaries, a systemic pattern of plummeting violations is reported towards civil society actors, human rights defenders, and journalists, particularly in Turkey.

On another note, the digitalization of human rights advocacy and sustainable development has its own progressive and restrictive measures. While artificial intelligence and the latest technologies opened a variety of gateways, is also reflected in the curtailment of women journalists with the increasing climate of intimidation and persecution on digital platforms. This dire reality is also reflected in the database of the Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) as Turkey is listed as the top perpetrator against women journalists.

On this current trajectory, women journalists in Turkey face robust measures limiting their capacity to perform their duties and ensure that citizens receive unfiltered and unbiased information about the present political, economic, and judiciary crisis in the country which detrimentally increased after the imprisonment of Istanbul`s elected Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, which sparked country-wide protests as citizens raised their voices against this rampant act to eliminate Turkey`s emerging leader with growing popularity with a chance to defeat President Erdogan in the next round of presidential elections. Considering this pressing political arena and extremely polarized society, the surge of women journalists is also on the rise. Legal harassment and arbitrary detentions remain as most frequent forms of repressions. CFWIJ reports a 160% increase in legal actions limiting the space of women journalists in Turkey.

Editor of Bianet, Tugce Yilmaz was recently under detention criminalizing her interaction with a group of Armenian youth under the guise of “publicly denigrating the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey, and the institutions and organs of the state” as stated by Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. Independent journalist and fellow of Reporters Without Borders, Elif Akgul, is recently released after over 3 months of imprisonment following a large-scale attack under the state`s alleged claim of fighting against terrorism as a part of the investigation against the Peoples’ Democratic Congress. Reporters Elif Bayburt, Nisa Sude Demirel, and Zeynep Kuray have also been among the journalists who were subjected to arbitrary detention for their coverage of a range of protests against the recent imprisonment of Istanbul`s Mayor as their presence documented disproportionate police violence on peaceful protestors. Recently, the personal data of journalist Nevsin Mengu, a critical dissident voice, was also released on social media platforms in addition to putting her at the center of troll`s online defamation campaigns.

Even though many of these media members are later released, prolonged investigations, travel bans, and frequent risk of re-detention continue to boost a climate of fear and intimidation among journalists whose work is never a crime. The rise of digital disinformation campaigns and the targeting of journalists with cyber harassment continues to pose significant threats to the safety of those who seek to report the truth in Turkey.