A protester waves Turkish flag during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, outside Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A protester waves Turkish flag during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, outside Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Turkey arrested and deported a BBC journalist covering the anti-government demonstrations in Istanbul.
BBC confirmed Thursday that reporter Mark Lowen was detained in Istanbul the day before. He had been in the country several days to cover protests inspired by the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul.
The Turkish police detained Mr. Lowen for 17 hours before he was deported. Authorities reportedly told the BBC that Mr. Lowen represented a “threat to public order.”
The BBC blasted the deportation, promising to take legal action.
“Mark is a very experienced correspondent with a deep knowledge of Turkey, and no journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job,” Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, said. “We will continue to report impartially and fairly on events in Turkey.”
On top of Mr. Lowen’s arrest, 11 other journalists covering the protests were detained. Eight of them were released Thursday but still face incitement charges in court.
Mr. Lowen called the detention and deportation “extremely distressing”, adding that he lived in Turkey for five years previously.
“Press freedom and impartial reporting are fundamental to any democracy,” Mr. Lowen said in a statement.
Mr. Lowen’s arrest comes as the Turkish government weathers some of the nation’s largest anti-government protests in years.
The demonstrations began last week after the arrest of Mr. Imamoglu, who was subsequently hit with corruption charges. He is a key political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leading many to see the arrest as politically motivated.
The protests hit a fever pitch Thursday morning as hundreds of demonstrators marched near the gates of Middle East Technical University in Istanbul in Ankara. In response, Turkish security forces hit protestors with water cannons, pepper spray and plastic pellets.
Mr. Erdogan is describing the protestors as violent vandals. According to Turkey’s Interior Ministry, over 1,800 people have been arrested since the protests began last week. Turkish police have also conducted home raids, targeting left-wing opposition groups and trade unions.
The crackdown extends to the media, with Turkey banning or fining broadcast channels that support the protest. The pro-opposition channel Sozcu TV was slapped with a 10-day broadcast ban for “inciting the public to hatred and hostility,” the station said.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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