FRANKFURT, Feb 20 - A correspondent for the German state-backed international broadcaster Deutsche Welle was detained by Turkish authorities in Ankara on allegations of "disseminating misleading information" and "insulting the president," according to a statement from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor's office said late on Thursday that Alican Uludag had been taken into custody and that a criminal investigation had been opened based on several of his posts on social media. The office added that Uludag will be brought before prosecutors on Friday.
Deutsche Welle confirmed that the journalist, who has worked for the broadcaster for years, was arrested in Ankara and subsequently transferred to Istanbul police. DW's director general, Barbara Massing, described the charges as baseless. In a statement, she characterised the arrest as "a deliberate act of intimidation and shows how severely the government is suppressing press freedom."
According to DW, the specific allegations against Uludag stem from a criticism he posted on the social platform X roughly a year and a half ago. That post criticised Turkish government measures that, DW said, led to the release of individuals suspected of links to the Islamic State.
A German government spokesperson said Berlin was deeply concerned by the detention and emphasised that Deutsche Welle must be able to operate independently in Turkey. The spokesperson said:
"Journalists in particular must be able to carry out their work freely and without fear of repression,"
The matter remains under the formal review of prosecutors in Istanbul as the legal process moves forward. Authorities have tied the criminal inquiry to specific social media content, and the journalist is scheduled to appear before prosecutors as noted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The case has drawn public statements from both the news organisation and the German government expressing concern about the implications for independent reporting. DW characterised the detention as part of broader pressures on the media, while German officials reiterated the importance of a safe operating environment for journalists in Turkey.