# Türkiye: detention, injury and deportation of journalists covering protests, March 2025

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 1 source.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources cited do not give the legal outcome for each detained journalist (as of 2026-09-22).

After the detention of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19, 2025, protests spread in Türkiye, and between March 19 and March 28, 2025, the authorities detained at least 13 journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organization in New York. From March 21 to 23, 2025, at least 14 journalists were injured after being beaten or shot with rubber bullets by Istanbul police, and on March 27 police detained the BBC correspondent Mark Lowen and deported him. CPJ said on April 2, 2025 that the authorities "have since arrested thousands of protesters and have moved aggressively to tamp down media coverage."[1]

- Country: [Türkiye](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/tr)
- Where: Türkiye
- Level of government: National
- Tactics: Detention and violence, Expulsion and visa denial
- Head of government at the time: [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/recep-tayyip-erdogan)
- Issue of the day: The detention of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19, 2025, and the protests that followed.
- Outcome: Unknown, April 2, 2025. CPJ's report of 2025-04-02 describes the restrictions as continuing; the outcomes for individual journalists are not recorded.
- Era: The 2020s

## What happened

On March 19, 2025, Turkish authorities detained the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, whom CPJ described as a potential challenger to the president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in the next presidential election. Protests followed.[1][2][3][4]

Between March 19 and March 28, 2025, at least 13 journalists were detained, including the reporter İsmail Saymaz, detained at his home in Istanbul on March 19, and the photojournalist Zişan Gür, detained while covering protests on March 23. From March 21 to 23, at least 14 journalists were injured after being beaten or shot with rubber bullets by Istanbul police. On March 27, Istanbul police detained the BBC correspondent Mark Lowen and deported him to London.[1][2][3][4]

In a report of April 2, 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organization in New York, said the Turkish authorities "have since arrested thousands of protesters and have moved aggressively to tamp down media coverage" of the demonstrations.[1][2][3][4]

Status as of 2025-04-02: Not publicly stated. CPJ described the detentions and restrictions on coverage as continuing amid mass arrests of protesters.[4]

## What reason was given

The authorities cited "accusations of corruption" against Istanbul's municipal government, controlled by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), as the basis for the action against İmamoğlu. The sources cited give no separate reason for the detentions of journalists.[2]

## What changed for reporting

Journalists covering the protests were detained, injured or, in Lowen's case, deported between March 19 and March 28, 2025, which reduced on-the-ground coverage of the demonstrations and their policing.[3]

## Timeline

- 2025-03-19: Türkiye: detention, injury and deportation of journalists covering protests, March 2025

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Government of Turkiye](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/government-of-turkiye) | enforced | National government |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [BBC](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/bbc) | outlet | affected |
| [Mark Lowen](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/mark-lowen) | journalist, BBC | affected |

## Sources

1. Journalists in Turkey arrested, beaten, deported amid government crackdown on opposition. https://cpj.org/2025/04/journalists-in-turkey-arrested-beaten-deported-amid-government-crackdown-on-opposition/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-04-02).

## Claims cited

[1] Restrictions on journalists covering the protests began with Ismail Saymaz's detention. Quote: "On March 19, police detained freelance reporter and TV commentator İsmail Saymaz at his house in Istanbul." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-04-02. Journalists in Turkey arrested, beaten, deported amid government crackdown on opposition. https://cpj.org/2025/04/journalists-in-turkey-arrested-beaten-deported-amid-government-crackdown-on-opposition/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/86, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Authorities cited corruption allegations against the CHP-controlled Istanbul municipality as the basis for the underlying restrictions. Quote: "accusations of corruption" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-04-02. Journalists in Turkey arrested, beaten, deported amid government crackdown on opposition. https://cpj.org/2025/04/journalists-in-turkey-arrested-beaten-deported-amid-government-crackdown-on-opposition/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/87, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] CPJ documented detentions, beatings and the deportation of BBC's Mark Lowen among journalists covering the protests. Quote: "authorities have since arrested thousands of protesters and have moved aggressively to tamp down media coverage" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-04-02. Journalists in Turkey arrested, beaten, deported amid government crackdown on opposition. https://cpj.org/2025/04/journalists-in-turkey-arrested-beaten-deported-amid-government-crackdown-on-opposition/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/88, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] CPJ's report described the restrictions as continuing amid mass arrests of protesters. Quote: "press freedom advocates are concerned that authorities are deliberately targeting them to suppress coverage" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-04-02. Journalists in Turkey arrested, beaten, deported amid government crackdown on opposition. https://cpj.org/2025/04/journalists-in-turkey-arrested-beaten-deported-amid-government-crackdown-on-opposition/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/89, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-turkiye-detains-and-deports-journalists-covering-protests. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.