Hasan Kırmızıtaş - Hadi Kurt - Ömer Şulul / Şanlıurfa, June 16 () - Four journalists have been released shortly after being detained in southeastern Turkey over a question that irritated Şanlıurfa Governor İzzettin Küçük.
Evrensel correspondent Hasan Akbaş and daily Cumhuriyet columnist Pınar Öğünç were detained along with Özlem Topçu and Deniz Yücel of German newspapers Die Zeit and Die Welt respectively, after Akbaş’s question to the governor about the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) presence in the Akçakale district of Şanlıurfa.
“Some who live in Tal Abyad say there are ISIL members in Akçakale and they are worried that their lives will be in danger. Do you have any comments on that?” Akbaş had asked.
In response, Küçük simply said “It’s over” leaving the questions unanswered before instructing the police to detain the journalists.
Yücel broke the news of their detention on Twitter and he later heralded news of their release. “We are free again” Yücel tweeted after being questioned by police.
A man working as a press member in the Şanlıurfa Governor’s Office reportedly objected to Akbaş’s question in the press meeting, shouting “There is no such question. These people are creating disturbance.” Security forces also had to forcibly prevent people from approaching the four journalists.
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