In this file photo, Turkish police arrest an employee of Kanalturk television in Istanbul as part of the government’s crackdown on media outlets. (Photo by AFP)
Turkish police have arrested two Swedish journalists in the country’s southeastern province of Diyarbakir as the Ankara government presses ahead with a large-scale crackdown following the abortive mid-July coup.
The pair were arrested on Saturday after they filmed near a military zone in the province, situated 676 kilometers east of the capital, Ankara. They were identified only by their initials as LNB and RAS, Turkey’s private Dogan news agency reported.
The two were subsequently referred to the foreigners’ department following interrogation, and are awaiting deportation.
The development came nearly a week after Turkish authorities expelled a French reporter for the Paris-based Les Jours news website.
Olivier Bertrand was detained along with a Turkish photographer in the city of Gaziantep, situated 685 kilometers southeast of Ankara, on November 11. The photographer was later released, but Bertrand was kept in custody and his phone and laptop computer were confiscated.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault described the detention as “deeply shocking and unacceptable.”
Turkey’s repressive measures against journalists following the July 15 botched putsch have been widely condemned by European officials and various rights groups.
The European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said on November 8 that the 28-member bloc was “gravely concerned” about the situation of press freedom in Turkey.
Turkish officials say over 240 people were killed and more than 2,100 others injured in the wake of post-coup violence.
Tens of thousands of people, including military personnel, judges and teachers, have also been suspended, dismissed or detained as part of the massive crackdown.
Turkey accuses US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the coup attempt. Gulen has denied the allegation.