Swedish journalist faces terrorism charges in Turkey detention
The Swedish journalist Joakim Medin will remain in Turkish custody. A court in Ankara has rejected an appeal against his arrest, where he is accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation and insulting the President of Turkey. Medin is being held in a high-security prison, the same facility as Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested on charges of corruption.
On Wednesday, the court in Ankara rejected the appeal against the arrest of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, as reported by the Turkish organisation Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), which represents him.
Medin, who works for the left-wing Stockholm-based newspaper "ETC," was detained on 27th March at Istanbul airport. He faces charges of belonging to a terrorist organisation and insulting the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both Medin and his editorial team deny these accusations.
Swedish journalist in Turkish custody
According to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), representing the journalist, the court found the arrest warrant to be lawful, and the reasons for his detention still stand. MLSA is planning to appeal to a higher court.
Medin is currently held in the high-security Marmara prison in Silivri, where the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, also facing corruption charges, is incarcerated.
The Swedish journalist intended to report on protests in Turkey against the detention of critics of Erdogan's policies.
Erdogan effigy
The Turkish authorities claim that Medin was involved in hanging an effigy resembling Erdogan in Stockholm during an anti-Turkish protest in January 2023, amid Sweden's NATO accession process.
This protest was organised in response to delays in the acceptance of Sweden's application to the Alliance, with the Turkish government accusing Stockholm of granting asylum to Kurds and Erdogan's political opponents. Many of these individuals are considered terrorists in Turkey. Following negotiations with Turkey, Sweden ultimately tightened its laws, expanding the definition of membership in a terrorist group.
The "ETC" editorial team argues that Medin, who has been critical of Erdogan's policies and authored the book "The Kurdish Trace, Sweden, Turkey and the Price of NATO Membership," is merely fulfilling his professional duties.
Last week in Brussels, the case of Medin was discussed by the head of Swedish diplomacy, Maria Malmer Stenergard, in a conversation with her Turkish counterpart. Swedish journalist associations are planning a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, and the journalist's wife, who is expecting a child, is appealing for his release.
