Journalists without borders condemned arrest and criticized what they call erosion in press freedom in Türkiye.
ADVERTISEMENTSwedish journalist Joakim Medin was arrested in Türkiye for “a member of an armed terrorist organization” and “insulting the president”.
Andreas Gustavsson, editor -in -chief of the Dagens newspaper, etc., said that Medin, who was in Turkey to cover the current demonstrations against the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmaoğlu, had not been heard for two days.
Erik Larsson, chief of the Sweden Border Journalists (RSF), said in a statement according to Medin’s arrest: “Targeting journalists in this way is unfortunately nothing new in Turkey. However, in recent years (government tactics) have changed and journalists are silenced by legislation and censorship on the Internet.”
The arrest of Medin intervenes at a time of intensification of debate on press freedom in Türkiye.
Mark Lowen, correspondent for the public broadcaster based in the United Kingdom, BBC, was expelled on Thursday.
The BBC confirmed that Lowen, who had been detained on March 26, had been expelled on the morning of March 27.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya had previously announced that 1,418 people had been detained since March 19, the day of detention of the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmağlu.
Many journalists were among those detained.
Seven of journalists arrested earlier in the week were published on Thursday but still faced charges.
The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) announced Thursday that Yasin Akgül, Kurtululi Arı, Kurtululuş Arı, Gökhan Kam, Ali Onur Tosun Bülent Kılıç, Hayri Tunç and Zeynep Kuray, which covered the demonstrations in Saraçhane, were published after objes.
