Turkey releases French photographer

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 9 June 2017

Mathias Depardon, a French photographer, was deported from Turkey after his detention on terrorism charges. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for his freedom to work in Turkey.

Summary

NEW YORK - Turkish authorities should allow French photographer Mathias Depardon to live and work freely in Turkey, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Depardon’s lawyer, Emine Åžeker, told CPJ that the photographer was deported to France today.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that he was “very happy” to announce that Depardon would return to France tonight. Åžeker told CPJ she was still trying to clarify the conditions of her client’s release, including whether his criminal investigation on charges of “making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization” would remain open. Police detained the photographer, who has lived in Istanbul for five years, in southeastern Turkey on May 8, according to his lawyer and press reports.

“Mathias Depardon’s release is cause for celebration, but he should never have been detained in the first place,” CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. “We call on Turkish authorities to allow Depardon to return to his adopted home in Istanbul should he desire, and to allow him to work without interference.” - Committee to Protect Journalists

KEY POINTS:

• Mathias Depardon was detained in Turkey on May 8.
• He has lived in Istanbul for five years before his arrest.
• French President Emmanuel Macron announced his return to France.
• CPJ urges Turkish authorities to allow his return to Istanbul.
• Depardon's lawyer is clarifying the status of his criminal investigation.