A court in Istanbul on Friday charged Alican Uludağ, a long-time reporter for Deutsche Welle (DW), with "insulting the president," reported dpa, quoting state news agency Anadolu.
In a statement, DW said Uludağ has been placed in pre-trial detention.
DW had previously reported his detention, which it said followed a police raid at Uludağ's home in Ankara late on Thursday.
According to an earlier statement from the broadcaster, approximately 30 police officers conducted the operation in front of Uludağ's family. During the raid, authorities searched his apartment and confiscated IT equipment before transferring Uludağ to Istanbul for legal proceedings.
Uludağ has long covered human rights violations, corruption cases and court proceedings.
Previously, the Istanbul public prosecutor's office had launched an investigation not only for insulting the president but also for "publicly disseminating misleading information."
German government calls for his release
The German government is calling on Turkey to release Uludağ, Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer told dpa on Friday.
"I call on the Turkish government to ensure that Alican Uludağ is released from custody immediately," he said.
"Journalistic work is not a criminal offence."
The charges reportedly stem from a post made 18 months ago on the platform X, in which Uludağ criticized the government's release of suspected Islamic State militants and levelled accusations of corruption.
DW Director Barbara Massing dismissed the charges as "baseless," suggesting that Uludağ's deep connections and access to sensitive sources made him "dangerous" in the government's eyes.
Uludağ himself described the proceedings as politically motivated and as a "purge against critical voices," according to DW. He maintains that his posts on X are protected under freedom of expression.
In 2021, Uludağ was awarded the Raif Badawi Prize for Courageous Journalism in Germany. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which sponsors the award, noted at the time that his work was vital as independent journalism in Turkey faced "severe pressure."
Uludağ's detention has triggered a wave of condemnation. Turkey's main opposition party, the country's leading journalists' associations and human rights activists have joined the German government in calling for his immediate release.
Critics and observers argue that the "insulting the president" clause in Turkish law remains a controversial tool for silencing dissent.
Turkey currently ranks 159th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index, with much of the media landscape remaining under direct or indirect government control.
- DW reporter
- Arrested
- Turkey
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
