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A Turkish court has rejected an appeal challenging the pretrial detention of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, who is being held on terrorism-related charges at an İstanbul prison, according to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).
Medin was arrested on March 28 by the Ankara 10th Criminal Court of Peace on suspicion of membership in an armed terrorist organization — a charge frequently used by Turkish authorities against journalists, activists and opposition figures. The appeal of his detention was filed by MLSA lawyers on April 3 and denied this week by an Ankara criminal court, which ruled that the arrest was lawful and procedurally valid.
The court cited a “strong suspicion of a crime,” the risk of evidence tampering and the inadequacy of alternative judicial supervision measures in its decision. It concluded that there was “no illegality in the pretrial detention order, no new developments in favor of the suspect and that the reasons for pretrial detention still apply.”
Veysel Ok, co-director of MLSA, said the organization plans to file an individual application with Turkey’s Constitutional Court to challenge the ruling.
Medin, a Swedish national, was taken into custody upon arriving at İstanbul Airport on March 27. He had traveled to Turkey to cover widespread protests following the detention and subsequent arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure and leading rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkish police have detained nearly 2,000 people since March 19, when İmamoğlu was detained. He was put in pretrial detention on March 23 on corruption charges — an arrest that has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations and foreign governments, who view it as politically motivated.
The court’s ruling against Medin marks the latest development in a broader crackdown on dissent as Turkey continues to face criticism for its use of anti-terror laws to silence independent journalism and political opposition.
Separately, BBC journalist Mark Lowen was deported from Turkey on March 26 after being held for 17 hours. Turkish authorities cited a “lack of accreditation” and said he posed “a threat to public order,” according to the broadcaster. He was also covering the protests over the mayor’s arrest.
Several journalists were also briefly arrested, including a photojournalist from French news agency Agence France-Presse and a number of Turkish reporters, while covering the protests.