Turkish court frees AFP journalist held while covering protests, says agency

A Turkish court freed Agence France-Presse journalist Yasin Akgul on Thursday, the news agency has confirmed. Akgul was detained earlier this week while covering mass protests over the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, added Reuters.

The detention and subsequent arrest of Imamoglu on Sunday over graft charges triggered the largest nationwide anti-government demonstrations in over a decade and led to widespread arrests. The mayor is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival.

On Tuesday, a court jailed seven journalists pending trial, including AFP’s Akgul, for attending illegal meetings and marches, and “refusing to disperse despite warning during a demonstration,” a court document seen by Reuters showed. Broadcaster NTV said that the court freed the six other journalists who were held as well as Akgul, all of them local.

Erdogan has dismissed the protests as a “show” and warned of legal consequences against those who take part, while Imamoglu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has called for protests to continue and said it would ramp up pressure on the government.

The opposition, Western countries and rights groups have said that the case against Imamoglu, who leads Erdogan in some polls, was a politicised move to remove a potential electoral threat to the president. The government denies any influence over the judiciary and insists that courts are independent.

READ: Istanbul council elects interim mayor after Imamoglu’s jailing