Journalist Şardan released

ISTANBUL

Journalist Tolga Şardan has been released after being detained on Nov. 1 over penning an article alleging that Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) had submitted a report to the presidency regarding corruption in the judiciary.

Şardan's lawyers filed an objection petition with an Istanbul court immediately following last week's arrest decision, asserting that "the detention was unjust, in violation of the law and arbitrary.”

Upon the objection, the court on Nov. 6 ordered the release of the journalist, imposing a ban on leaving the country.

Şardan, who writes for the news outlet T24, raised questions in his article titled "What is in the 'judicial report' submitted by MİT to the Presidency?" The article by Şardan discussed a letter supposedly containing findings on allegations of corruption in the judiciary, which was reportedly submitted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by the intelligence agency.

In an official statement, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office revealed that they launched an investigation into Şardan's article due to concerns that it contained statements that could be construed as "publicly disseminating misleading information to the public," a crime in Türkiye since last month.

The Communications Directorate's Centre for Combating Disinformation swiftly rejected the allegations raised in Şardan's article, asserting that it contained disinformation.