Deutsche Welle reporter arrested for ‘insulting’ Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Deutsche Welle quoted Uludag’s lawyer, Gokhan Teksen, as saying that the messages under investigation were posted about a year ago.

A Turkish court has formally arrested Alican Uludag, a correspondent for the Turkish service of Germany’s state-funded broadcaster Deutsche Welle, on a charge of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Under Turkish law, insulting the president is punishable by up to four years in prison. (Reuters)

Uludag, 40, was detained by security forces in Ankara late on Thursday and later transferred to Istanbul to give a statement, DW said on its website. An Istanbul court subsequently ordered his arrest pending trial.

The state-run Anadolu Agency, citing the prosecutor’s office, reported that the charge relates to social media posts. DW quoted Uludag’s lawyer, Gokhan Teksen, as saying that the messages under investigation were posted about a year ago. “The criminal code is being converted to a stick to restrict freedoms,” Teksen said.

DW director-general Barbara Massing said in a statement that Uludag is “a well-known investigative journalist” who reports on corruption and is “well-connected and has access to important sources.”

Under Turkish law, insulting the president is punishable by up to four years in prison. The sentence may be increased if the offense is deemed to have been committed publicly.