A BBC journalist was deported from Turkey for covering spiralling anti-government protests.
Istanbul accused Mark Lowen of being a “threat to public order” amid a major media crackdown.
BBC journalist Mark Lowen was deported from Turkey for covering spiralling anti-government protests[/caption]
Britain urged its Nato ally to “uphold the rule of law” after the BBC revealed Lowen had been snatched from his hotel, detained for 17 hours and ordered to leave.
The Foreign Office said: “We share a strong and important relationship with Turkey… we expect the upholding of shared international commitments and the rule of law, including timely and transparent judicial processes.”
They added: ”Around the world we support democracy, the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media freedom.”
Lowen had flown in to report on daily street protests over the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Imamoglu is widely seen as a the main challenger to Turkey’s strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled for over a decade.
In a message on Twitter Lowen said: “Journalism is not a crime.”
Almost 2,000 people have been detained since March 19 including a dozen journalists who were held in coordinated pre-dawn raids.
Turkey has also imposed a 10-day ban on opposition TV channel Sozcu, claiming it incited “hatred and hostility”.
The BBC’s head of news Deborah Turness said: “No journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job.
“We will continue to report impartially and fairly on events in Turkey.”
