Turkish authorities have detained a veteran correspondent of German state-backed international broadcaster Deutsche Welle in Ankara, accusing him of "disseminating misleading information" and "insulting the president". Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement late on Thursday it detained Alican Uludag and launched a criminal investigation based on some of his social media posts. ADVERTISEMENTDeutsche Welle, or DW, said the correspondent, who has been working for the broadcaster for several years, was arrested in Ankara and taken to Istanbul police on Thursday. DW Director General Barbara Massing called the accusations baseless and said the arrest was "a deliberate act of intimidation and shows how severely the government is suppressing press freedom". DW added that his apartment was searched and IT equipment was confiscated.

Source: The Telegraph February 20, 2026 09:13 UTC