Swedish Journalist Arrested in Turkey on Charges of Insulting President and Terrorism
A Swedish journalist named Joakim Medin has been detained in Turkey. He faces accusations of being part of an armed terrorist group as well as insulting the president.
Andreas Gustavsson, the chief editor at Dagens ETC newspaper, mentioned that Medin, who traveled to Turkey to report on the demonstrations happening due to the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Ä°mamoÄŸlu, has remained out of contact for the past two days.
Erik Larsson, who leads Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Sweden, commented in a statement after Medin’s detention: “Attacking journalists like this is sadly not uncommon in Turkey. Nevertheless, over the past few years, the government’s methods have evolved; they now silence reporters primarily through legal means and online restrictions.”
Medin’s detention occurs amid escalating discussions concerning journalistic freedoms in Turkey.
Mark Lowen, a reporter for the UK-based public broadcasting network BBC, was expelled on Thursday.
The BBC verified that Lowen, who was arrested on March 26th, was expelled early in the morning on March 27th.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya previously stated that 1,418 individuals were taken into custody starting from March 19th, the same day when Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Ä°mamoÄŸlu was arrested.
A number of reporters were included among those who were held.
By Thursday, seven of the journalists who were detained earlier in the week had been freed but continue to face charges.
On Thursday, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) reported that Yasin Akgül, KurtuluÅŸ Arı, Gökhan Kam, Ali Onur Tosun Bülent Kılıç, Hayri Tunç, and Zeynep Kuray—who were reporting on the demonstrations in Saraçhane—were freed after filing appeals. Note that "KurtuluÅŸ Arı" appears twice in the original list of names.