‘Monsieur Erdoğan, Free Journalist Mathias’

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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Support Mathias Depardon have started a petition to free Mathias Depardon, a journalist from France kept in detention in a removal center in Antep province.

In the petition addressed to President Recep Tayip Erdoğan, a call is being made to "put an end to the holding hostage".

The petition says:

Monsieur Erdoğan, arbitrariness has become a usual norm in your country and now it is Mathias' turn to be the victim. After wiping of the plurality of the Turkish media, your Government now has started to target foreign journalists. We will not let you do that.

"We demand that you respect the promise you made to the President of France Emmanuel Macron on May 25 in Brussels that you would 'examine the situation as soon as possible' and free him immediately.

"Monsieur Erdoğan, free Mathias".

Depardon's mother arrives in Turkey today

Foto journalist Depardon's mother Danièle Van de Lanotte will arrive in Antep today.

According to the report of Le Monde daily, Depardon's mother Lanotte said that she had been able to talk to her son only twice on the phone and that she would go to the removal center in Antep today to try to arrange a one-hour meeting with her son.

Demonstrations in Paris

RSF also organized a demonstration in front of the Minicipality of 4th District in Paris yesterday (Juene 7) demanding the release of Depardon.

RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire stated that the detention was "not rightfull not legitimate" and described the situation as "an institutional hostage holding".

What happened?

Depardon had been taken into custody on May 8 in Hasankeyf district of Batman province while doing a report on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for National Geographic magazine.

Though his planned deportation was on May 11, Depardon is still being kept in a removal center in Oğuzeli district of Antep province and being charged with "propagandizing for an illegal organization" due to some photographs he had posted on Instagram.

37 year-old Depardon has been based in Turkey for the past five years and is in the process of renewing his press card.

On May 25, President of France Emmanuel Macron in a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Brussels had demanded that the situation of the journalist be examined and Erdoğan stated that they would respond to the demand as soon as possible. (ÇT/DG)