The year 2021 saw the continued persecution of the free press in Turkey. IPI documented the trials of 241 journalists last year, of whom 28 were convicted. The vast majority of open cases were adjourned into the new year, part of the cycle of never-ending judicial harassment.

In 2021, IPI monitored and recorded a total of 294 hearings across 135 separate trials that involved the prosecution of at least 241 journalists. Of those trials, 16 ended in a conviction. In total, 28 journalists were convicted, resulting in a cumulative total of 83 years of sentencing. Nine of those convictions were for terrorism-related charges and two for insulting the president, two of the most common types of charges against journalists.