UN voices 'concern' over Turkish court's U-turn on journalists' jailing

The United Nations voiced concern on Wednesday over a Turkish court's U-turn decision to remand in custody seven journalists, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, detained after covering protests in Istanbul.

"It is a matter of concern that, reportedly, the initial decisions of a court in Istanbul to free the journalists were immediately reversed on the prosecutor's intervention," UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman, Liz Throssell, told AFP.

Akgul, 35, was one of 10 Turkish journalists rounded up early on Monday after days of covering the mass protests that erupted on March 19 when Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival- was arrested.

Vast crowds have hit the streets daily, defying protest bans in Istanbul and other big cities. More than 1,400 people have been arrested.

Akgul and his colleagues were arrested at their homes before dawn and were all charged with "taking part in illegal rallies and marches and failing to disperse despite warnings", court documents showed.

But prosecutors suddenly revised their request and asked the court to order their formal arrest, Akgul's lawyer said. Legal observers described it as an "unprecedented" U-turn.

Court documents seen by AFP said the move was necessary because there was a risk they could flee.

The court decision was slammed as "scandalous" by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), with the Turkish Photojournalists Union denouncing it as "unlawful, unconscionable and unacceptable".

Writing to the Turkish presidency about Akgul's case, AFP chief executive and chairman Fabrice Fries slammed Akgul's imprisonment as "unacceptable".

Akgul, he stressed, was "not part of the protest" but only covering it as a journalist and should be swiftly released.

Throssell stressed that it was "essential to ensure the safety and rights of media workers who engage in their professional activities, including while covering significant protests, such as those in Istanbul".

She also highlighted numerous reports received by the UN rights office of "restricted public access to multiple social media platforms" in connection with the protests in Turkey.

Such restrictions, she warned, "infringe upon the right to freedom of expression by denying people their rights to seek, receive and impart information".