Fri Mar 28 23:45:25 UTC 2025: ## Swedish Journalist Jailed in Turkey Amid Crackdown on Protests
**ISTANBUL** – Swedish journalist Joakim Medin has been jailed in Turkey after being detained upon arrival to cover anti-government protests, his newspaper confirmed Friday. Dagens ETC editor-in-chief Andreas Gustavsson stated that while formal charges are yet to be disclosed, Medin’s imprisonment is confirmed. Turkish media reports allege Medin insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and is a member of an armed terrorist organization – accusations Gustavsson vehemently denies as “100 percent false.”
Medin’s detention follows a wider crackdown on dissent in Turkey, sparked by the recent arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. Over 1,879 people have been detained since March 19th, according to Turkey’s Interior Minister. This wave of arrests also includes two Turkish women journalists, detained in dawn raids on Friday, following the release of eleven other journalists arrested earlier in the week for covering the protests. BBC journalist Mark Lowen was also deported after 17 hours of detention, though Turkish authorities cited a lack of accreditation.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard expressed concern over Medin’s arrest, stating that the Swedish government takes such incidents seriously. Gustavsson has called for Medin’s immediate release, highlighting the attack on press freedom in Turkey. The ongoing crackdown raises serious concerns about the shrinking space for independent journalism and freedom of expression within the country.
First Piper 