The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) joined the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the UK and the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF) in calling on Turkish authorities to immediately release Joakim Medin and all local and foreign journalists who have been detained.
BBC journalist Mark Lowen was detained on 26 March and deported after 17 hours in custody. As reported by the BBC, the journalist who had been covering the protests in Istanbul for three days was issued a written deportation order, accusing him of “being a threat to public order.”
“Reacting to his deportation, NUJ General Secretary Laura Davison said: “The deportation of BBC correspondent Mark Lowen by Turkish authorities is deeply concerning. At a time of heightened safety concerns due to ongoing protests, audiences are reliant on impartial and trusted journalism more than ever.”
On 27 March, Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, a regular contributor to the daily newspaper Dagens ETC, was arrested shortly after landing in Istanbul. In a statement, Turkish authorities accused Medin of producing anti-Türkiye content and claimed he had alleged connections with the banned group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The journalist has been charged with “Membership of an Armed Terrorist Organisation” and “Insulting the President.” The authorities claimed that Medin’s detention had “no connection whatsoever to journalistic activities” but was related to Medin’s participation in a protest in Stockholm in 2023, in which a puppet of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was hung by its feet. The allegations were firmly denied by The Rovaja Committees, the organisers of the protest.
His arrest has sparked protests in Stockholm, where demonstrators called for his immediate release.
According to the Swedish Union of Journalists, Medin has been transferred to Marmara Prison in Silivri.
“We demand the immediate release of Joakim Medin. The accusations against him are false. He has done his job as a journalist and reported on issues related to Turkey. Journalism is not a crime,” said Ulrika Hyllert, President of the Swedish Union of Journalists.
“We strongly condemn the arbitrary arrest and deportation of foreign journalists in Türkiye as well as any attack on local journalists. The Turkish government must immediately release Joakim Medin and all journalists detained as a blatant attempt to silence and intimidate media workers. Freedom of the press is a fundamental right that must be respected. No journalist should be arrested, deported, or harassed as a result of their work,” said the IFJ-EFJ.
Source: EFJ
