Two British journalists and a fixer working for Vice News in Turkey have been detained for allegedly filming without accreditation or government permission.
The men were detained by anti-terrorism police officers on Thursday night in the predominantly Kurdish city of Diyarbakır in south-east Turkey, where they had been filming clashed between police and members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkish authorities have claimed they are being held on suspicion of assisting the armed group that calls itself Islamic State.
Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s Turkey Researcher, said:
“This is yet another example of the Turkish authorities suppressing the reporting of stories that are embarrassing to them. They should release the journalists immediately.
“It is completely proper that that journalists should cover this important story. The decision to detain the journalists was wrong, while the allegation of assisting Islamic state is unsubstantiated, outrageous and bizarre.”
They have not been charged and UK authorities are working to secure their release.