Journalist İsmail Arı arrested for second time; 'sending me to prison for a crime with no basis'

Journalist İsmail Arı, known for his reporting on corruption in public institutions, has been arrested for the second time. Arı said, "The judge didn't even listen, he cut off his lawyers' words. They are sending me back to prison for a crime that has no basis whatsoever."

Arı was first arrested on March 22 on charges of "publicly disseminating misleading information," and after spending three months in prison, he was released on June 5.

During the new arrest process, Arı was asked whether he had posted about the connection between former bureaucrat Osman Nacar, who was mentioned in the fund investigation and is alleged to have fled abroad, and Ebubekir Şahin, the former head of RTÜK. While Arı stated that he did not recall whether he had made such a post, he said he had not reported on Şahin's role in the fund investigation.