French journalist held by Turkey begins hunger strike

A French photographer detained two weeks ago by Turkish police while on assignment in the mainly Kurdish southeast has begun a hunger strike to protest against his detention, a press activism group said yesterday, citing his lawyer.

Istanbul-based freelance journalist Mathias Depardon was taken into custody by police in Batman province on 8 May and has been held at a deportation centre in the border province of Gaziantep, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a statement.

Citing Depardon’s lawyer, RSF said he started the hunger strike on Sunday. “The ordeal to which Matthias Depardon is being subjected is unacceptable and has lasted for too long,” said Johann Birr, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.

A Turkish official said Depardon “had not acted within the boundaries of journalistic principles,” without elaborating further or commenting on the report of the hunger strike.

In previous statements, RSF had cited police saying Depardon was arrested on suspicion of publishing “terrorist propaganda”, referring to his photographs in French media of militants from Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), seen as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.