bianet.org
Dutch journalist Frederike Geerdink who had been living in Diyarbakır province, in southeastern Turkey and working on Kurdish question had been detained in Yüksekova district of Hakkari province in eastern Turkey on September 5 with Human Shield Group. Geerdink was deported on September 9 upon the request of Governorship of Hakkari.
BBC Turkey stated Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the deportation of Dutch journalist.
Netherlands Association of Journalists will protest
Netherlands Association of Journalists (NVJ) will protest the deportation and oppression against the freedom of expression and press in front of Turkey’s Embassy in The Hague.
Committee to Protect Journalist
CPJ Vice Director Robert Mahoney said : “The decision of deportation is a deterrent factor from the government for journalists who are making news about Kurdish question in south-eastern Turkey.”
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders stated it was a ‘bad situation,’ and added they talked to Turkey’s officials related to the subject.
What happened?
Governorship of Hakkari sent a report ‘Geerdink is a foreigner and she must be deported’ to security officials on September 8.
Geerdink had been accused of “making propaganda of an illegal organization,” and was detained in January 2015.
Diyarbakır 6th High Criminal Court acquitted Dutch journalist Frederike Geerdink, of trial for “illegal organization propaganda” in three of her articles and her social media posts, in April 2015.
(EÖ/BD)