site.btaTurkish Journalist Baris Pehlivan Arrested Again

Prominent Turkish journalist Baris Pehlivan from the opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet has been detained again, Turkish media report.

The journalist was detained on Tuesday in front of the headquarters of the Turkish opposition Halk TV. In addition his colleagues Serhan Asker and Seda Selek,  host of Halk TV show, were also arrested.

According to the opposition newspapers Sozcu and BirGun, the arrests are linked to the investigation filed by the Istanbul Prosecutor General's Office against the city's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.

According to BirGun. Pehlivan was detained and investigated because he was found to have held a telephone conversation with the expert appointed in connection with the investigations into the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Mayor Imamoglu.

Istanbul's Prosecutor General's Office is investigating allegations that Pehlivan recorded and broadcast an "unauthorized conversation with the expert" related to the ongoing investigations against Imamoglu and the CHP.

Pehlivan, as well as Asker and Selek, are charged with "intercepting and recording private conversations" and "attempting to influence an expert" by revealing his name and comments during a Halk TV broadcast.

This is Pehlivan's sixth arrest. In November 2023, the journalist was released from prison after a case against him was dropped over a complaint of "insulting a public official" in connection with an article he wrote about corruption in the judiciary.

Journalists in Turkiye are preparing to organize demonstrations in support of Pehlivan and other journalists.