BBC Correspondent Mark Lowen Deported from Turkey Amid Protests
On Thursday, the BBC reported that Turkey had deported their correspondent, Mark Lowen, who was actively covering the widespread antigovernment protests in the country. His detention was described as a response to being labeled “a threat to public order.”
According to the broadcaster’s statement, Lowen had been in Turkey for several days when he was taken from his hotel on Wednesday and held for a grueling 17 hours before being deported. He arrived back in London on Thursday morning.
Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC News, expressed her concerns over the incident, stating, “No journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job.” She characterized the detention and subsequent deportation of Lowen as “an extremely troubling incident” and emphasized the BBC’s commitment to report “impartially and fairly” on the unfolding events in Turkey. Turness also indicated that the BBC would reach out to Turkish authorities regarding this matter.
Mark Lowen was in Turkey to report on the escalating political crisis triggered by the recent arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and a prominent rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu was detained on allegations of corruption and supporting terrorism, igniting protests across the nation. Since his arrest, hundreds of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets, and as of Wednesday, approximately 170 individuals were reported jailed pending trial by the country’s interior ministry.
Imamoglu has claimed that his arrest was politically motivated, and critics of Erdogan argue that this incident exemplifies the president’s increasingly authoritarian tactics after two decades in power. Lowen, a seasoned journalist who previously resided in Turkey for five years, was not the only reporter affected by the government’s crackdown on dissent. The interior ministry has reported that over 1,300 individuals have been arrested in connection with the protests, including 11 journalists. Among those detained, seven reporters, including a photographer for the French news agency Agence France-Presse, were released without charges on Thursday.
Reflecting on his experience, Lowen stated, “To be detained and deported from the country where I previously lived for five years and for which I have such affection has been extremely distressing. Press freedom and impartial reporting are fundamental to any democracy.”
Interestingly, Turkey did not officially announce Lowen’s deportation, and Turkish officials have not yet responded to requests for comments regarding this situation.
Ben Hubbard contributed reporting from Istanbul.
