Press Freedom Under Siege: Journalists Targeted Amid Turkey’s Political Turmoil
March 28, 2025
Moroccan Rights Activist Faces Prison Over Social Media Post Amid Growing Repression
March 28, 2025
March 28, 2025 – Sweden/Turkey –
In March 2025, Turkey witnessed its most significant anti-government protests in over a decade, ignited by the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The demonstrations, which spanned 55 provinces, were met with a stringent government response, including the detention and deportation of several foreign journalists.
BBC News correspondent Mark Lowen was detained in Istanbul on March 26 while covering the protests. After 17 hours in custody, he was deported the following day. Turkish authorities cited his presence as a “threat to public order”. Lowen condemned the action, highlighting the broader implications for press freedom in Turkey.
Simultaneously, Swedish journalist Joakim Medin was arrested upon his arrival in Turkey on March 27. He was charged with insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and alleged affiliations with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), stemming from a 2023 protest in Stockholm. Medin faced an 11-month suspended sentence for the insult charge and remained in detention pending trial on terrorism-related allegations, which could carry up to nine years in prison.
These incidents are part of a broader pattern of repression against journalists in Turkey. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that in the weeks following İmamoğlu’s detention, several journalists were arrested, beaten, or deported amid the government’s crackdown on opposition voices. The International and European Federations of Journalists have called on Turkish authorities to immediately release all detained journalists and cease actions that undermine press freedom.
These developments underscore the escalating challenges faced by journalists in Turkey, where reporting on political dissent has become increasingly perilous. The international community continues to monitor the situation, advocating for the protection of press freedoms and the rights of journalists.
Reference –
https://www.thejournal.ie/bbc-reporter-deported-turkey-protests-6661549-Mar2025/
