Turkey: Detained correspondent placed in pre-trial detention
DW's lawyers appealed the arrest warrant and pre-trial detention, but the court rejected the appeal, citing a flight risk. Alican Uludağ, an investigative journalist with 18 years of experience and no prior convictions, described the proceedings as politically motivated and as a "purge against critical voices." He maintains that his posts on X are protected under freedom of expression.
The court said it had identified in his posts on X what it described as a "strong suspicion" of possible "insulting the president." As grounds for pre-trial detention, it cited the risk of "continued commission of the offense" and "obstruction of the evidentiary process."
DW Director General Barbara Massing said: "Our many correspondents working abroad for DW fulfill the legal mandate to convey German and European perspectives and to report accurately and independently, including from our target countries. In doing so, they often expose themselves to danger – simply because they are doing their jobs as journalists and reporting independently in the spirit of press freedom. Within just one month, the case of our colleague Alican Uludağ is the second in which a DW correspondent has been placed in pre-trial detention. The proceedings are clearly politically motivated. We are shocked and will continue to campaign for our colleague's release."
As DW reported on Thursday, the well-known investigative journalist Alican Uludağ, who has worked for DW in Turkey for several years, was detained Thursday evening by approximately 30 police officers in front of his family. He was immediately transferred from Ankara to Istanbul to appear before the detention judge. Authorities searched his apartment and confiscated electronic equipment. The initial charges against him include "disseminating misleading information to the public," "insulting the president," and "insulting the Turkish nation, the state and its institutions." The allegations stem from a post on X published about a year and a half ago, in which he criticized measures taken by the Turkish government that he said resulted in the release of suspected ISIS terrorists. In the same post, he accused the government of corruption.
Germany's Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, also commented on the case: "I call on the Turkish government to ensure that Alican Uludağ is released from custody immediately. Journalism is not a crime. The accusations against Uludağ are baseless.He must be freed. Deutsche Welle and its staff must be able to work freely and report independently in Turkey."
DW remains in close contact with his family, local lawyers and other relevant authorities on the ground.
