Three journalists from the online version of left-leaning newspaper Birgün have been briefly detained for questioning under anti-terror legislation over a story linked to İstanbul’s chief public prosecutor, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the paper.
Journalists Uğur Koç and Berkant Gültekin, who work for Birgun.net, and its managing editor Yaşar Gökdemir were detained at their homes late Saturday for “targeting individuals engaged in counterterrorism efforts,” Birgün’s editor in chief İbrahim Varlı wrote on X.
He said it was for publishing a story about a journalist from the pro-government Sabah newspaper visiting İstanbul’s chief prosecutor Akın Gürlek, which “had already been announced by (Sabah) itself.”
“They are trying to intimidate the press and society with investigations and detentions,” Varlı wrote.
The journalists were released from detention on Sunday afternoon.
Articles or comments about İstanbul’s top prosecutor have triggered several legal probes in recent months, including the latest investigation into İstanbul’s powerful opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as well as another probe late last year into main opposition leader Özgür Özel, who heads the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The overnight detentions were denounced by Özel as “an unprecedented disgrace” in a post on X.
“The detention of journalists Uğur Koç, Berkant Gültekin and Yaşar Gökdemir for publishing a news item that was already published by Sabah newspaper is an unprecedented disgrace. Trying to fabricate a crime out of this is a sign of guilt. The journalists must be released immediately,” he said.
The Turkish authorities have regularly targeted journalists, lawyers and elected political representatives but there has been an uptick of cases in recent weeks, with three journalists from the opposition Halk TV detained late last month for broadcasting an interview an expert witness involved in the İmamoğlu probe.
In another investigation ordered by Gürlek, Melisa Sözen, an actor who played a Kurdish militant in a 2017 series of the hit French spy thriller “The Bureau,” was questioned by police this week on grounds of alleged “terrorist propaganda,” the private DHA news agency and Halk TV said.
The probe was related to the fatigues she wore for the part, which were allegedly similar to those worn by the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) that Ankara says are linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).