Turkish authorities have apprehended a reporter from German state-sponsored international broadcaster Deutsche Welle in Ankara on charges of spreading false information and insulting the president. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office disclosed that Alican Uludag was taken into custody and an investigation initiated based on his social media activity. Uludag is scheduled to face prosecutors today.
Deutsche Welle, known as DW, confirmed that the detained correspondent, a long-time employee of the network, was detained in Ankara and transferred to Istanbul by the police. DW Director General Barbara Massing dismissed the allegations as unfounded and condemned the arrest as a deliberate attempt to intimidate, highlighting the government’s harsh crackdown on press freedom.
The accusations against Uludag reportedly stem from his critique of Turkish government actions resulting in the release of suspected Islamic State militants, made in a social media post about a year and a half ago. A spokesperson from the German government expressed deep concern over the journalist’s arrest, emphasizing the importance of DW’s ability to report independently within Turkey.
The spokesperson stressed the essential role of journalists in being able to conduct their work freely and without the threat of repression.
