Odatv News Director Barış Terkoğlu Detained
* Photo: Twitter
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Odatv News Director Barış Terkoğlu has been detained.
As reported by Odatv news website, Terkoğlu was detained from his house upon the verbal instruction of İstanbul Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Hasan Yılmaz in early morning hours today (March 4).
Terkoğlu has been reportedly taken to the Security Department of İstanbul Directorate of Security on Vatan Avenue. He is expected to be referred to İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan after he his deposition there.
Speaking to bianet, his attorney Serkan Günel has stated that as of 11 a.m. today, the deposition of Barış Terkoğlu has not yet been taken. The only official statement regarding his detention is that he has been taken into custody "because of a news report."
Kılınç also detained
Apart from Terkoğlu, Hülya Kılınç, who also works Odatv, has been detained. Attorney Günel has announced that Kılınç was detained in Manisa and she is being taken to İstanbul as of 4.44 p.m. today.
Hülya Kılınç made a news report about the burial of MIT official who was killed in Libya. The news report on the burial of the official in Akhisar, Manisa was published on Odatv news website on March 3.
Odatv: Release him immediately
Odatv news website has indicated that Terkoğlu has been taken into custody over a news article entitled "Odatv has obtained the images of the funeral of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) member martyred in Libya and buried in silence and without a ceremony."
After Barış Terkoğlu was detained, the news website has published a news report that asked in its heading "why Odatv is targeted though the same news were reported in other news outlets."
Odatv has indicated that İYİ Party İstanbul MP Ümit Özdağ said the name of the person in question openly a week ago, emphasizing that several media outlets also reported on this information.
Reiterating that "the detention of Barış Terkoğlu is against the law", Odatv has made a call for an immediate release of its News Director.
Pehlivan has announced it on Twitter
Journalist Barış Pehlivan, the colleague of Terkoğlu, has also announced his detention on his Twitter account: "Odatv News Director, my friend, my fellow journalist Barış Terkoğlu has been taken into custody from his house early in the morning, just as the FETÖ* did 9 years ago."
Odatv Haber Müdürü, dostum, yoldaşım, gazeteci Barış Terkoğlu, tıpkı FETÖ’nün 9 yıl önce yaptığı gibi şu an sabaha karşı evinden gözaltına alındı.
— Barış Pehlivan (@barispehlivan) March 4, 2020
About Barış Terkoğlu
The News Director of Odatv news website since 2008, journalist and writer.
He studied Mechanical Engineering at İstanbul University. He did his MA in the Department of Political History and International Relations at Marmara University Middle East Institute.
He worked as a researcher for the documentary program "Oradaydım" (I was there) from 2008 to 2010.
(TP/AS/SD)
* Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), which is held responsible for the attempted coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016.