Overview
- Raphaël Boukandoura, 35, was arrested Monday while reporting on a DEM protest in Istanbul against a Syrian offensive in northeast Syria, as police dispersed the rally and detained about 10 people.
- On Wednesday he was moved to the Arnavutköy migrant detention center with the prospect of expulsion, then told AFP he had been freed and was heading home.
- Police alleged he chanted slogans at the protest, which he denies, and it was not immediately clear whether any charges were dropped.
- Reporters Without Borders, his outlets Courrier International, Libération, Ouest‑France and Mediapart, the SNJ union, and France’s foreign ministry pressed for his immediate release and tracked the case.
- RSF characterized the arrest and deportation threat as intimidation of journalists covering pro‑Kurdish events, noting Turkey’s low press‑freedom ranking.