Journalist arrested over reporting on allegations of MP’s son bringing weapon to school

Yelis Ayaz, a local journalist in the western province of Aydın,, was arrested following her articles regarding allegations that the son of Seda Sarıbaş, an MP from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), brought a weapon to his high school.

Ayaz, right holder of the local outlet Aydınpost, had recently written two articles about the allegations. Detained on May 15, Ayaz was formally arrested  on charges of “publicly disseminating misleading information” under Turkish Penal Code Article 217/A.

Another journalist detained within the scope of the investigation, Emin A., was released under judicial control measures.

In her first article published on Apr 20, Ayaz brought the allegations to her column under the title “Knives at school, weapons in allegations: What is Aydın hiding?”

Ayaz published a second article on May 14, claiming that the allegations were confirmed based on complaints filed by other students at the school to the Presidential Communications Center (CİMER).

Prosecutor’s office denies allegations

Following the arrest, the Aydın Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a written statement arguing that the allegations did not reflect the truth. It stated that the photograph subject to the CİMER applications belonged to a “toy gun” incident that took place at a private school in 2024, and that the parent of the student in question was not a public official or a lawmaker.

The office also claimed that some individuals filed applications to CİMER to “save suspects from crime” by creating evidence in their favor.

The office accused the journalist of making false and misleading news by exploiting the public sensitivity caused by two rare school shootings that took place in the country last month.

Response to prosecution’s statement

Ayaz responded to the prosecutor’s office with an article she wrote from prison, which was published today on Aydınpost.

Ayaz noted in the article that she was arrested solely for her reporting on allegations that had already been circulating in the local press.

She said that after the news of her detention, a parent contacted her via social media to confirm the cover-up, which was later supported by five official CİMER complaint documents filed by four students and a parent.

According to Ayaz, these documents asserted that an armed student had pointed a gun at classmates, that photographic evidence existed, and that the school administration had actively covered up the incident.

Ayaz added that she independently verified the identity of the lawmaker’s son in the photograph but chose not to publish it because he is a minor.

Ayaz criticized the Aydın Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for declaring the CİMER complaints “fake” without taking statements from the applicants. She also questioned how the prosecutor’s office was able to determine that the weapons in question were actually pellet guns.

Furthermore, she pointed out a chronological discrepancy, noting that while the prosecutor’s office claimed the incident occurred in 2024, all official CİMER complaints explicitly dated the event to 2025.

The journalist also questioned the integrity of the investigation, highlighting that the prosecution relied entirely on statements from the school administration, which was the very institution accused of covering up the allegations.

She challenged authorities to release the image publicly, announcing that Aydınpost would submit the photograph to independent experts to verify the identity of the individual holding the weapon.

Reactions from journalism groups

Journalism organizations reacted to the arrest of Ayaz. The İzmir Journalists Association (İGC) made a press statement regarding the arrest, calling it unacceptable.

“This incident is one of the signs that the pressure on journalism has reached unimaginable points,” the association said. “Instead of silencing the journalist who points to a great danger, the great danger pointed out by that journalist should be stopped and investigated in detail.”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey Representative Erol Önderoğlu was also among those who reacted to the arrest.

“Arresting a journalist for disinformation and intervening in the agenda over every news item that has a dimension related to the powerful has become a worrying habit of the judiciary,” Önderoğlu said, stating that the arrest was arbitrary and unacceptable.

(HA/VK)