Ali Ergin Demirhan, editor of the sendika.org news website, a media outlet critical of the Turkish government, was detained on Friday on accusations of insulting Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Demirhan announced the news of his detention on Twitter and said he was detained by the police during a General Information Gathering (GBT) records check while travelling.
In his tweet the journalist also said he has not yet received any notification from the judicial authorities about an investigation into him but was currently in custody on charges of insulting the president.
President Erdoğan is accused by his critics of establishing a one-man rule in Turkey, destroying the separation of powers and silencing dissent.
Turkey, where more than 150 journalists and media workers are currently jailed, was ranked 157th among 180 countries in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index released in April by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).