Turkiye: Dutch freelance journalist Ans Boersma deported
Turkish authorities detained Dutch freelance journalist Ans Boersma while she tried to renew her residence permit in Istanbul and deported her the next day, citing an alleged link to a Syrian armed group that the Netherlands said it had never been asked about.1234
- Country
- Türkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)
- Where
- Türkiye
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Expulsion and visa denial
- Stage
- Punish (see the ladder)
- Ladder note
- A foreign correspondent was detained overnight and deported on an allegation her own government said it was never asked to confirm; the White House ban has not deported a journalist from the country.
- Head of government at the time
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Issue of the day
- Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome
- Sustained, January 17, 2019. The deportation was not reported as reversed in the sources reviewed.
- Era
- The 2010s
What happened
On January 16, 2019, Turkish authorities took Ans Boersma, a Dutch freelance journalist based in Istanbul, into custody while she attempted to renew her residence permit at the city's Foreigners' Office. She was held overnight at a police station and deported the next day, January 17, without being allowed to return to her home to collect belongings. Turkish officials linked the deportation to an allegation that Boersma had ties to Jabhat al-Nusra, a Syrian armed group. The Dutch government said Turkey had made no request for her detention, expulsion or extradition and that it had not been consulted about the allegation before she was removed. Boersma had reported on Turkiye and Syria for several years before the deportation.1234
Closed; Boersma was deported and did not return to report from Turkiye in the period covered by the sources reviewed.1234
What reason was given
"The Netherlands told Turkey that the reporter, who was deported today, had links to Jabhat al-Nusra."1
What changed for reporting
The deportation removed a working foreign correspondent from the country on an allegation her own government said it had not been asked to confirm.2
Timeline
2019
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | other | President of Türkiye |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Ans Boersma | journalist | affected |
Sources
Claims cited
- Turkey's stated basis for the deportation.
The Netherlands told Turkey that the reporter, who was deported today, had links to Jabhat al-Nusra.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 13, 2019, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-01-17. Claim 538, checked 2026-09-22. - The Netherlands' response disputing the basis for the deportation.
No request for detention, expulsion or extradition has been made.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 13, 2019, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-01-17. Claim 539, checked 2026-09-22. - Circumstances of her detention.
The journalist was taken into custody the day before, when she tried to renew her residence permit at the Foreigners' Office in Istanbul.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 13, 2019, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-01-17. Claim 642, checked 2026-09-22. - Details of her overnight detention and removal.
She was detained overnight at a police station, and put on the plane the following day without being allowed to visit her house to pack.
Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of January 13, 2019, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-01-17. Claim 643, checked 2026-09-22.