Swedish journalist jailed in Turkey on terrorism, insult charges

ANKARA (Reuters) - Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin, who was in Turkey to cover protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest, was jailed pending trial on terrorism charges, Turkey's Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said on Friday.

Medin was detained in Istanbul as part of an investigation launched after a protest in Stockholm in January 2023, where a mannequin resembling President Tayyip Erdogan was hung outside the city hall.

Authorities said Medin was among 15 suspects identified for organizing, promoting, or being linked to the demonstration.

Medin was charged with "insulting the president" and "membership in a terrorist organization."

His employer, Dagens ETC newspaper, had raised concerns over his whereabouts after he was unreachable for two days.

Dagens ETC Editor-in-Chief Andreas Gustavsson told Swedish TV4 that Medin had done nothing wrong and was merely being punished for doing his job as a reporter.

Turkish authorities also cited Medin's past reporting from conflict zones in Syria, Iraq and southeastern Turkey between 2014 and 2017.

He was formally arrested via video conference by an Ankara court after being questioned in Istanbul.

Sweden has asked the Turkish ambassador to Stockholm to clarify the allegations against Medin and to demand that he receive urgent access to consular services, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told public broadcaster SVT.

(Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Sandra Maler)