Alerts | Arrest/detention under fake news laws

News director and editor detained in Turkey over coronavirus report

Date:
Number of cases:
Regions/Countries:
Alert types:

Ismet Çiğit, news director of the website Kocaeli Ses, was detained at his home near Istanbul after publishing an article headlined, “Two coronavirus-linked deaths in Derince hospital.” The editor, Güngör Arslan, was also detained and spent the night in the police station due to being charge of publishing the article online. Mesut Akbulut, the editor of the Kocaeli newspaper, was briefly detained two days before that for mentioning another coronavirus case in the city. All journalists were released after interrogation.

Become a member

IPI membership is open to anyone active in the field of journalism, in news media outlets, as freelancers, in schools of journalism or in defence of press freedom rights, who supports the principle of freedom of the press and desires to co-operate in achieving IPI’s objectives.

Become a member

Latest