Turkish court clears journalists arrested while covering Istanbul protests

A Turkish court has acquitted four journalists who were accused of taking part in an allegedly unlawful demonstration they were reporting on in Istanbul, ruling that there was no evidence they had committed any offence.

The decision was delivered on Thursday morning and clears AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, NOW Haber journalist Ali Onur Tosun, and freelancers Bulent Kilic and Zeynep Kuray. Turkish media reported that three other journalists were also acquitted.

The group had been arrested in March during a wave of protests sparked by the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Authorities accused them of breaching Turkey’s Law 2911 on meetings and demonstrations, legislation frequently criticised by rights groups as a blunt tool to stifle peaceful assembly and media scrutiny. The government maintains the judiciary operates independently and rejects claims of political pressure.

AFP welcomed the ruling.

“AFP welcomes the acquittal of Yasin Akgul and his colleagues. This case against photographers doing their job on the streets of Istanbul should never have been brought,” said Phil Chetwynd, AFP’s global news director. “Journalists must be allowed to cover demonstrations and protests unhindered,” he added.

Reporters Without Borders also backed the decision, having previously labelled the case “unlawful”.