JournalismPakistan.com | Published March 28, 2025 at 10:03 pm | Reuters
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ANKARA—Turkish authorities deported a BBC News correspondent on Thursday after detaining him for 17 hours and branding him a "threat to public order".
Mark Lowen had been in Turkey to cover mass street protests triggered by the arrest and jailing of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
BBC News CEO Deborah Turness called the deportation "extremely troubling" and said the broadcaster would raise the issue with Turkish authorities.
Lowen, who previously lived in Turkey for five years, said his expulsion was "extremely distressing", adding that press freedom is essential to democracy.
The Turkish presidency's communications directorate said Lowen had not applied for accreditation with its office as required.
"Mark Lowen, a UK citizen and BBC employee, travelled to Istanbul and reported without prior notification to, or accreditation from, our Directorate. As a result, administrative action was taken against him," the directorate said in a statement.
Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's biggest political rival who leads him in some polls, was jailed on Sunday, pending trial on corruption charges which he denies. Imamoglu and his supporters say his detention is politically motivated and anti-democratic, an assertion that Erdogan's government denies.
His arrest has prompted the largest anti-government protests in Turkey in more than a decade and has led to the detention of nearly 1,900 people across the country.
Meanwhile, Turkey's media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK), imposed fines on four broadcasters over coverage related to the arrest of Imamoglu, an RTUK member said.
Sanctions were issued against programmes aired on pro-opposition channels SZC TV, Tele1, and Halk TV as well as NOW TV, for alleged violations.
Additionally, SZC TV was ordered to halt broadcasting for 10 days, with RTUK warning that a third violation could result in the revocation of its licence.
انقرہ: ترک حکام نے جمعرات کو بی بی سی نیوز کے نامہ نگار کو 17 گھنٹے حراست میں رکھنے کے بعد "عوامی نظم کے لیے خطرہ" قرار دیتے ہوئے ملک بدر کر دیا۔
مارک لوون استنبول کے میئر اکرم امام اوغلو کی گرفتاری اور قید کے بعد ہونے والے بڑے پیمانے پر سڑک پر احتجاج کا احاطہ کرنے کے لیے ترکی میں موجود تھے۔
بی بی سی نیوز کی سی ای او ڈیبورا ٹرنز نے اسے "انتہائی پریشان کن" قرار دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ وہ ترک حکام سے اس معاملے پر بات کریں گی۔
لوون، جو پہلے پانچ سال تک ترکی میں رہ چکے ہیں، نے کہا کہ ان کی بیدخلی "انتہائی تکلیف دہ" ہے، اور انہوں نے زور دیا کہ جمہوریت کے لیے صحافتی آزادی ضروری ہے۔
ترکی کے صدارتی مواصلاتی ڈائریکٹوریٹ نے کہا کہ لوون نے ضروری اجازت نامہ حاصل کرنے کے لیے درخواست جمع نہیں کرائی تھی۔
انہوں نے ایک بیان میں کہا، "برطانیہ کے شہری اور بی بی سی کے ملازم مارک لوون نے ہماری ڈائریکٹوریٹ کو اطلاع یا اجازت کے بغیر استنبول کا سفر کیا اور رپورٹنگ کی۔ نتیجتاً، ان کے خلاف انتظامی کارروائی کی گئی۔"
صدر رجب طیب ایردوان کے سب سے بڑے سیاسی حریف اکرم امام اوغلو، جو بعض انتخابات میں ان سے آگے ہیں، کو بدعنوانی کے الزامات پر اتوار کو عدالتی کارروائی تک کے لیے حراست میں لے لیا گیا، جسے وہ مسترد کرتے ہیں۔ امام اوغلو اور ان کے حامیوں کا کہنا ہے کہ ان کی گرفتاری سیاسی طور پر محرک اور جمہوریت مخالف ہے، جسے ایردوان کی حکومت مسترد کرتی ہے۔
ان کی گرفتاری نے ترکی میں گزشتہ دس سال سے زائد عرصے میں سب سے بڑے حکومت مخالف مظاہروں کو جنم دیا ہے، جس کے نتیجے میں ملک بھر میں تقریباً 1900 افراد کو حراست میں لیا گیا ہے۔
اسی دوران، ترکی کے میڈیا ریگولیٹر، ریڈیو اینڈ ٹیلی ویژن سپریم کونسل (آر ٹی یو کے) نے امام اوغلو کی گرفتاری سے متعلق رپورٹنگ پر چار نشریاتی اداروں پر جرمانے عائد کر دیے۔
آر ٹی یو کے کے ایک رکن کے مطابق، حزب اختلاف کے حامی چینلز ایس زیڈ سی ٹی وی، ٹیلی 1، اور حلق ٹی وی کے ساتھ ساتھ نو ٹی وی پر نشر ہونے والے پروگراموں پر مبینہ خلاف ورزیوں کی وجہ سے پابندیاں عائد کی گئیں۔
اس کے علاوہ، ایس زیڈ سی ٹی وی کو 10 دن کے لیے نشریات بند کرنے کا حکم دیا گیا، جبکہ آر ٹی یو کے نے انتباہ کیا کہ تیسری خلاف ورزی پر ان کا لائسنس منسوخ کیا جا سکتا ہے۔
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