Turkish authorities announced Sunday that they have arrested Joakim Medin, a Swedish journalist from the daily Dagens ETC, on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “insulting the president.” Medin was detained upon arrival at Istanbul Airport on Thursday and formally arrested the following day.
According to a statement from the Counter Disinformation Center, a division of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department, Medin’s arrest was “not over his journalism activities.” The Center accused Medin of participating in a January 11, 2023, rally in Stockholm organized by supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. The rally included an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The PKK, which has waged a 40-year insurgency against Turkey that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, declared a ceasefire in early March following a call from its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan. A peace initiative between the PKK and the Turkish state was initiated in October.
The Ankara Public Prosecutors Office launched an investigation into the Stockholm rally two days after it occurred, identifying 15 suspects, including Medin. The Counter Disinformation Center also alleged that Medin facilitated communication between the PKK and the press.
Medin’s arrest is part of a wider crackdown on media workers covering Turkey’s largest protests in more than a decade. Over a dozen journalists have been detained in recent days.
The incident has drawn criticism from press freedom advocates who argue that Turkey’s actions threaten the right to free expression and press coverage.
