BBC correspondent Mark Lowen was deported from Turkey after reporting on anti-government protests sparked by the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. He had been in Istanbul for three days, covering the unrest, when he received a phone call instructing him to report to the police.
Lowen spent seven hours at the police headquarters before being moved to the foreigners’ custody unit, where he was fingerprinted and denied access to lawyers or contact with the outside world. The authorities claimed it was due to a “government decision” and said he was being deported for being a “threat to public order”.
However, Lowen denies this and claims that his accreditation issues were only discovered after his detention had been made public. He believes the Turkish government is trying to justify its actions.
The case highlights Turkey’s poor record on press freedom, with Reporters Without Borders ranking it 158th out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index. Eleven journalists have been detained since the protests began.
As the unrest continues, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismisses the protests as “street terrorism” and appears emboldened by international support. The question now is whether Turkey’s biggest demonstrations can sustain momentum or if Erdogan can brush off the crisis.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0jgj47zx53o