BBC journalist snatched from hotel & deported for covering Turkey’s spiralling anti-govt protests

A BBC journalist was deported from Turkey for covering spiralling anti-government protests.

Istanbul accused Mark Lowen of being a “threat to public order”; amid a major media crackdown.

BBC journalist Mark Lowen was deported from Turkey for covering spiralling anti-government protests

Britain urged its Nato ally to “uphold the rule of law”; after the BBC revealed Lowen had been snatched from his hotel, detained for 17 hours and ordered to leave.

The Foreign Office said: “We share a strong and important relationship with Turkey... we expect the upholding of shared international commitments and the rule of law, including timely and transparent judicial processes.”;

They added: ”;Around the world we support democracy, the fundamental rights to freedom of speech , peaceful assembly and media freedom.”

Lowen had flown in to report on daily street protests over the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Imamoglu is widely seen as a the main challenger to Turkey’s strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , who has ruled for over a decade.

In a message on Twitter Lowen said: “Journalism is not a crime.”;

Almost 2,000 people have been detained since March 19 including a dozen journalists who were held in coordinated pre-dawn raids.

Turkey has also imposed a 10-day ban on opposition TV channel Sozcu, claiming it incited “hatred and hostility”;.

The BBC's head of news Deborah Turness said: “No journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job.

“We will continue to report impartially and fairly on events in Turkey.”