Turkey criticized for detaining journalists amid protests over arrest of Istanbul's mayor, a key Erdogan rival
Press freedom groups have criticized Turkey for detaining journalists and enforcing a media blackout amid nationwide protests sparked by the arrest of Istanbul's mayor.
Turkish authorities detained and deported BBC correspondent Mark Lowen for "being a threat to public order" after he spent a few days in Turkey covering the protests against the imprisonment of Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul's popular mayor and the leading political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Lowen was detained for 17 hours before he was deported, a BBC statement said.
"No journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job," Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, said in a statement.
Eight other journalists, including a photojournalist with Agence France Presse, were also arrested but later released, according to the Turkish Journalists Union.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders condemned "the outrageous incarceration of journalists" and urged an end in the dramatic escalation of crackdown on press freedom.
"Equating professional journalists with protesters not only shows shameless bad faith but also highlights the grave interference of political power in the judiciary that is attempting to silence the media," the organization said.
Local news outlets were also punished. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), a state agency regulating content, has imposed penalties, including suspension of some broadcasts, on SZC TV, Halk TV, Tele 1 and NOW for broadcasting live coverage of protest demonstrations.
Imamoglu's arrest last week prompted the largest protests across Turkey in a decade.
Imamoglu was detained just days before he was widely expected to win a primary election to become the presidential candidate of the main opposition to Erdogan, the Republican People's Party. Imamoglu was among 100 people, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen, who were detained as part of a corruption investigation.
Imamoglu is seen as Erdogan's key rival as he beat candidates from Erdogan's party in three previous local elections to hold the mayor's office. Erdogan started his political career as a mayor of Istanbul, a city of 16 million people that is often looked at politically and socially as a microcosm of Turkey.
Turkish authorities denied the imprisonment of Imamoglu was politically motivated.
Minister of Justice Yilmaz Tunc insisted that the decision to arrest Imamoglu was based on criminal reports and not linked to the timing of the Republican People's Party decision to elect him as its presidential candidate.
Tunc also denied that Erdogan knew about the allegations of corruption Imamoglu is facing.
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said 1,879 people had been detained since the protests erupted last Wednesday, with 260 of them jailed, pending trials.
Some of those arrested, including journalists and academics, were detained in house raids.
Tear gas and water cannons were used to disperse mostly young crowds. International right organizations criticized Turkish police for using excessive force.
Amnesty International urged Turkish authorities to "end the use of unnecessary and indiscriminate force by security forces against peaceful demonstrators and investigate unlawful acts of violence committed by police against protesters."
