ALBAWABA - Eight journalists were held and kept in custody by an Istanbul prosecutor because they were covering the "anti-government" protests in the city, The Guardian reported.
According to the British newspaper, the prosecutor reversed a court's decision to free the journalists for charges of covering Turkey’s "largest anti-government" protests.
According to the newspaper, the eight journalists are among 10 others who were detained by the Istanbul police in dawn raids on their homes earlier this week.
An Istanbul court initially ruled the release of the journalists before reversing it again, according to their lawyers and representatives.
AFP journalist Yasin Akgül and the former AFP photojournalist Bülent Kılıç were among those who were taken by the police.
It is worth noting that Bülent Kılıç was named Guardian agency photographer of the year in 2014 for his coverage of Ukraine, events on the Turkish border with Syria and the deadly crash of flight MH17.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Monday that 1,133 suspects were arrested in illegal activities carried out between March 19 and March 23. Over 120 police officers were also injured during the violent demonstrations, the minister added.
Protests erupted in Turkey since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is the main rival to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ekrem Imamoglu was expected to run for presidential elections in Turkey in 2028.
