- The Governorship said, for the French journalist who was kept under administrative detention in Arnavutköy for two days, “there is no detention decision or record”
- MLSA Co-Director Atty. Veysel Ok said that holding a journalist for two days in a removal center without a decision is clearly a detention, and announced they will file a compensation lawsuit against the Istanbul Governorship
A response was given by the Istanbul Governorship to MLSA’s objection against the detention of French journalist Raphaël Boukandoura on January 19 while he was following a press statement, and his subsequent holding in the Arnavutköy Removal Center. In the response, the Istanbul Governorship claimed that there was no record found for Boukandoura.
Journalist Boukandoura was released upon MLSA’s objection after being held under administrative detention for two days.
Veysel Ok, Co-Director of MLSA and Boukandoura’s legal representative, evaluated the development. Ok said that there can be no legal basis for holding a journalist in a removal center without a decision for two days. He stated that they will file a compensation lawsuit against the Istanbul Governorship for the damages suffered by the journalist who was unlawfully detained for two days.
The Governorship stated that there was no administrative detention decision regarding Boukandoura, who was held for two days under administrative detention at Arnavutköy Removal Center, and that they did not find any record of Boukandoura in their files.
Boukandoura, who has been working in Turkey for over ten years and is a correspondent for the French newspaper Libération, was detained on January 19 while following a press statement held in Istanbul’s Sancaktepe district. After being detained, the journalist was held under administrative detention at Arnavutköy Removal Center and deportation proceedings were initiated against him.
MLSA’s Legal Unit stated that Boukandoura was detained while carrying out journalistic activity and filed an objection against the administrative detention and possible deportation decision. Following the objections made, Boukandoura was released on January 21 after two days of administrative detention.
