BBC reporter Mark Lowen, who was in Turkey to cover the protests following Ekrem İmamoğlu’s arrest, was detained and later deported.
For the past few days, Lowen had been in Turkey reporting on the ongoing protests sparked by İmamoğlu’s arrest. On Wednesday, March 26, he was taken from his hotel and held in custody for 17 hours.
In a statement, the BBC said, “This morning (March 27), Turkish authorities deported BBC News reporter Mark Lowen from Istanbul. The day before, they took him from his hotel and detained him for 17 hours.” The statement also mentioned that on Thursday morning, Lowen was given a written notification stating that he was being deported on the grounds of “posing a threat to public order.”
‘Press freedom is the foundation of democracy’
Mark Lowen commented, “Being detained and deported from a country where I previously lived for five years and love deeply is extremely upsetting. Press freedom and impartial journalism are the foundations of any democracy.”
BBC News Director Deborah Turness called the incident “deeply concerning” and stated, “We will be reaching out to Turkish authorities. Mark is a highly experienced reporter with extensive knowledge of Turkey, and no journalist should be treated this way simply for doing their job. We will continue to report on events in Turkey in a fair and impartial manner.”
Meanwhile, seven journalists who had been arrested two days ago were released following public pressure. These journalists were also simply doing their jobs, but the government, unwilling to have the truth exposed, had them detained in early morning raids on their homes.