Mark Lowen considered ‘threat to public order’ after reports on nationwide anti-government demonstrations
The BBC correspondent Mark Lowen has been arrested and deported from Turkey after reporting on the country’s largest anti-government protests in years.
The broadcaster said Lowen was arrested in Istanbul on Wednesday, having been there for several days to cover the protests, which were prompted by the arrest last week of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu.
In a statement, the BBC said: “This morning, the Turkish authorities deported BBC News correspondent Mark Lowen from Istanbul, having taken him from his hotel the previous day and detained him for 17 hours. Mark Lowen was in Turkey to report on the recent protests. He has been told he was deported for ‘being a threat to public order’.”
His deportation comes after other journalists were arrested amid the protests, in which thousands of people have taken to the streets across Turkey. So far, more than 1,850 people have been detained, including 11 journalists.
İmamoğlu, seen as the main rival of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is being held on corruption charges, which he denies. His supporters claim his arrest is politically motivated.
Mark Lowen said in a statement: “To be detained and deported from the country where I previously lived for five years and for which I have such affection has been extremely distressing. Press freedom and impartial reporting are fundamental to any democracy.”
Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC
Turkish courts ordered the release of seven journalists on Wednesday. Separately, Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog, RTÜK, has said it will impose a 10-day broadcast ban on the opposition TV channel Sözcü, after claims of incitement regarding its coverage of the protests.
