Turkish police detain French journalist in Turkey's Gaziantep
Turkish security forces have arrested a French journalist in the south-central province of Gaziantep amid Ankara’s continuing crackdown on members of the press in the country following the July 15 botched putsch.
The Paris-based Les Jours news website reported that Olivier Bertrand was detained along with a Turkish photographer in the city of Gaziantep, situated 685 kilometers southeast of the capital, Ankara, on Friday.
The photographer was later released, but Bertrand was kept in custody and his phone and laptop computer were confiscated.
Les Jours said Turkish officials have not provided any explanation for the journalist’s arrest.
Bertrand was reportedly working on a series about the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt, which the Ankara government claims to have been masterminded by Pennsylvania-based Turkish opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Les Jours has demanded the immediate release of its journalist, and has even contacted the French Foreign Ministry over the issue.
The non-governmental media rights group Reporters Without Borders said Bertrand’s detention was “illegal and an intimidation bid.”
Bertrand’s detention came only hours after Turkish police arrested the chairman of opposition daily Cumhuriyet at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport.
Akin Atalay was arrested upon return from Germany. Cumhuriyet reported that Istanbul Prosecutor's Office had called for Atalay’s arrest last week, but police could not find him at home as he was abroad at the time.
Last weekend, Turkish officials remanded nine Cumhuriyet journalists and executives on suspicion of affiliation to Gulen and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Turkey's repressive measures against journalists following the failed coup bid have been widely condemned by European officials and various rights groups.
The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said on November 8 that the 28-member bloc was "gravely concerned" about the situation of press freedom in Turkey.
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