BBC, VOA reporters detained in southeast Turkey
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 November 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, BBC, VOA reporters detained in southeast Turkey, 27 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a2a2a.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 27, 2016
VOA freelance reporter Khajijan Farqin was detained in Diyarbakir on November 26.
Turkish authorities during the weekend detained two reporters working for foreign news organizations in southeast Turkey – the latest journalists taken into custody as part of a government crackdown following a failed military coup in July.
Voice of America (VOA), a U.S.-government-funded media outlet, reports that its freelance journalist Khajijan Farqin was detained on November 26 in Diyarbakir.
No reason was given for Farqin's detention.
Meanwhile, BBC Turkish reports that its correspondent Hatice Kamer also was detained on November 26 in the town of Sirvan while reporting on the recent collapse of a copper mine that killed at least 11 workers.
The BBC reported that Kamer was released on November 27.
Kamer told German broadcaster WDR by phone after being freed that she was told she would face charges of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, through her reporting.
Kamer said there was no evidence to support the allegations.
Turkey has tightened restrictions on journalists in recent months, closing more than 170 news organizations and putting more than 120 journalists behind bars.
Many of the arrests and closures have involved reporters and news organizations based in the mostly-Kurdish southeast.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, VOA, and the BBC
Link to original story on RFE/RL website