Turkey Detains 2 Journalists in 2 Months Over ‘Insult’ Charges; 119 Others Held in IS Sweep
Turkish authorities have arrested a journalist for sharing a colleague’s pre-arrest social media post, while a Deutsche Welle correspondent has been re-detained on charges of insulting the president, as part of a broader crackdown that also saw 119 suspected Islamic State members rounded up nationwide.
In Antalya, local reporter Ali Taş was taken into custody after quoting a message from fellow journalist Alican Uludağ, who had written: “If you are coming for me, let me know so I don’t lose sleep for nothing.” The official reason for Taş’s detention has not been announced [203144]. Separately, Deutsche Welle correspondent Alican Uludağ was re-arrested in Turkey two months after his release, again facing charges of “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan [201841].
Meanwhile, in a coordinated nationwide sweep, Turkish police detained 119 individuals suspected of having ties to the Islamic State (IS) militant group, also known as ISIS or Daesh, during simultaneous raids across multiple provinces. Officials said the detentions are part of ongoing efforts to dismantle IS networks operating within the country [199143].
In a separate operation, authorities arrested a suspect identified as O.Y., wanted by Germany on drug trafficking charges, in Istanbul. The individual is set to be transferred to a repatriation center [203137].