Deutsche Welle Journalist from Germany Detained by Turkish Authorities

Detention and Allegations

FRANKFURT, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have detained a veteran correspondent of German state-backed international broadcaster Deutsche Welle in Ankara, accusing him of "disseminating misleading information" and "insulting the president".

Prosecutor’s Investigation

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement late on Thursday it detained Alican Uludag and launched a criminal investigation based on some of his social media posts. He will be brought before prosecutors on Friday.

DW Confirms Arrest

Deutsche Welle, or DW, said the correspondent, who has been working for the broadcaster for several years, was arrested in Ankara and taken to Istanbul police on Thursday.

Broadcaster’s Response

DW Director General Barbara Massing called the accusations baseless and said the arrest was "a deliberate act of intimidation and shows how severely the government is suppressing press freedom".

Social Media Posts at Issue

DW said the allegations against Uludag relate to his criticism of Turkish government measures that led to the release of suspected Islamic State militants in a post on social media platform X he made about a year and a half ago.

Search and Seizure of Equipment

DW added that his apartment was searched and IT equipment was confiscated.

Reporting Credits

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul, editing by Thomas Seythal)