Two Turkish journalists detained as protests over İmamoğlu’s arrest continue

Two journalists have been detained in Istanbul in the latest arrest of media workers covering Turkey’s largest protests in more than a decade, their outlets said.

Elif Bayburt, who works for the Faal News Agency, and Nisa Suda Demirel, from the Üniversal news website, were arrested in early morning raids that have also seen political activists and trade unionists apprehended by police.

“Our reporter, Nisa Sude Demirel, was detained by the police who came to her house at around 6 am this morning,” Kozmik said in a statement.

“Demirel, who was following the protests and the boycotts at the universities, was taken to the Istanbul Police Department’s Counter-Terrorism Branch office.”

International press freedom NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the arrests.

“There is no end to the detentions of journalists,” its representative in Turkey, Erol Onderoğlu, said.

The Turkish Journalists’ Union (TGS) called for the media to be allowed to do its work and demanded an “end to these unlawful detentions”.

Earlier this week, 11 journalists were detained in morning raids.

Although initially jailed pending trial, they were freed on Thursday but still face charges of “taking part in yasa dışı rallies and marches”.

Turkey’s broadcasting authority issued a 10-day airwave ban on Sozcu TV on Thursday, as well as fines and program suspensions to other opposition channels.

A reporter for the UK national public broadcaster, the BBC, was also deported Thursday.

İmamoğlu arrest sparks furore

The mass demonstrations broke out last week following the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and seen as a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Nightly Istanbul rallies organised by the CHP ended on Tuesday, but in other cities largely peaceful protests have continued.

Police, however, have used tear gas, water cannon and plastic pellets to suppress demonstrations that have been banned in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

İmamoğlu was jailed pending trial on corruption charges that many see as politically motivated.

The government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.

Courts across Turkey are dealing with a spike in cases as a result of the protests.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that nearly 1,900 people have been arrested since 19 March.