Turkey arrests journalists, academic for 'terror' propaganda
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Turkish court has placed two Turkish journalists, including a local representative of Reporters Without Borders, and an academic on pretrial arrest over charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda, according to the press freedom rights group and Turkish media reports.
Reporters Without Borders' Erol Onderoglu along with journalist Ahmet Nesin and academic Sebnem Korur Fincanci had voiced support for the Ozgur Gundem, a pro-Kurdish publication subject to multiple investigations and lawsuits.
The decision Monday came after they testified before Esref Durmus, public prosecutor with the state judiciary's Terrorism and Organized Crimes Bureau.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrests as "an unbelievable low for press freedom in Turkey."
Press freedom advocates warn that freedom of expression has dramatically declined in Turkey, where lawsuits against journalists, academics and other public figures are common.