When visiting Instanbul, Güzel was again arrested at the offices of "Özgür Gündem" on August 17, 2016. In the wake of the July 2016 Turkish "coup d'état" attempt, the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan closed over 100 media outlets and arrested dozens of journalists. A court ruled that "Özgür Gündem" was a "mouthpiece" of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and thus publishing “a terrorist organization’s propaganda." Police raided the offices of "Özgür Gündem," seizing computers, beating journalists, and yelling "Armenians, Jews, sons of Lenin; you are going to find out about the strength of the Turkish state." Doğan Güzel was arrested along with nearly two dozen journalists. A photograph of Güzel in police custody with his shirt nearly torn off became a symbol for those protesting attacks on the Turkish press. Güzel and 22 journalists were released two days later.