Turkish anti-terrorist police have detained two British journalists from Vice News for reporting from the predominantly Kurdish southeast without government accreditation, security sources said on Friday.
The two journalists were identified by the Turkish media and security sources as Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury. They were detained in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir province, where they were filming clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants, the sources said.
“A Vice News journalist, cameraman and fixer were detained by local police last night in Diyarbakir, Turkey, while reporting in the region. Vice News is working closely with the relevant authorities to secure their immediate release,” Vice said in an e-mailed statement.
The company declined to confirm the identities of the journalists. Vice News describes itself as an international news organisation focusing on under-reported stories.
The security sources said the two Britons and their Turkish translator were in close contact with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants.
A 2-1/2-year-old ceasefire between Turkey and Kurdish militants collapsed in July after a group close to PKK rebels shot dead two police officers. Ankara retaliated with strikes against the group in Iraq and Turkey.
Reuters