Turkïye: RSF condemns the expulsion of BBC journalist Mark Lowen, accused of being a “threat to public order”
On 27 March, the Turkish authorities expelled British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist Mark Lowen, accusing him of posing a “threat to public order.” The charge reflects the authorities’ opinion of journalists, a stance that has become particularly blatant as opposition protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rock the country and repression against press freedom escalates. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by the expulsion of Mark Lowen and calls on the authorities to stop criminalising journalists and obstructing the public’s right to reliable information.
Detained on 26 March at his hotel in Istanbul, BBC reporter Mark Lowen was held for 17 hours before being expelled from the country on Thursday, 27 March. He was in Turkïye covering the mass opposition protests sparked by the 19 March arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu — the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
"RSF is outraged by Turkey’s detention and expulsion of BBC journalist Mark Lowen, who was held for 17 hours. This professional journalist and specialist on Turkïye — where he lived for five years — was accused of being a ‘threat to public order’ for covering the protests in Istanbul. This is how Turkish authorities regard journalism, as demonstrated by the growing number of press freedom violations, especially when it comes to the arrests of journalists covering protests. They have also repeatedly attempted to prevent foreign reporters from doing their job in Turkey. RSF calls on the Turkish authorities to stop using the legal system to criminalise journalists and to lift the arbitrary bans on Mark Lowen and other foreign journalists’ entry into Turkish territory.
Seven journalists were arrested in a brutal crackdown targeting media professionals, four of whom were placed in pre-trial detention on 25 March, unjustly accused of “participation in unauthorised demonstrations” for simply reporting on protests. While six of them were finally released on 27 March, freelance photojournalist Murat Kocabaş remains in police custody in Izmir, the country’s third-largest city.
