Turkish Anadolu journalists kidnapped and released
Government-owned Anadolu news agency has accused the PKK of abducting and holding its staff for 48 hours.
Published On 21 Feb 2016
Three journalists who work for the Turkish government’s Anadolu news agency have been released after they were reportedly abducted by members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group.
The Anadolu Agency confirmed the release of the journalists on Sunday, more than 48 hours after they disappeared in Turkey’s southeastern Mardin province.
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Anadolu named the journalists as correspondent Rauf Maltas, 31, photojournalist Onur Coban, 36, and cameraman Kenan Yesilyurt, 26.
“[They] were released to Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP Ali Atalan and the party’s town chairman Ferhat Kut,” the agency said.
“They were taken to the local police station to brief the officials. Their confiscated items [cameras] were not handed over.”
The agency said the journalists were assigned to work in Mardin’s Nusaybin district only last week.
Pro-PKK media had reported earlier that the three were held after being accused of “gathering intelligence” on the group.
Source: Al Jazeera