Headlines
Turkey deports BBC journalist over 'public order' threat, fines TV channels
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 27, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 27, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Turkey deported BBC's Mark Lowen, citing public order threats amid protests over Istanbul Mayor's arrest. RTUK fined broadcasters for coverage.
ANKARA (Reuters) -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.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Huseyin HayatseverEditing by Gareth Jones and Deepa Babington)
Mark Lowen was deported after being detained for 17 hours and labeled a 'threat to public order' due to his lack of accreditation.
The protests were triggered by the arrest and jailing of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges, which he denies.
Turkey's media watchdog, RTUK, imposed fines on four broadcasters for their coverage related to Imamoglu's arrest and ordered SZC TV to halt broadcasting for 10 days.
BBC News CEO Deborah Turness described the deportation as 'extremely troubling' and stated that the broadcaster would raise the issue with Turkish authorities.
The arrest of Imamoglu led to the largest anti-government protests in Turkey in over a decade, resulting in the detention of nearly 1,900 people nationwide.
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