In Turkey, journalist receives free police excursion for writing the truth
In Istanbul, 30 police officers went on a group trip to pick up one journalist who had been too honest in his work.
While in Liepāja we enjoy a free press and the ability to criticize even the tram schedule, in Turkey the situation is a bit more complicated. A local Deutsche Welle correspondent, Uludāgs, received an unexpected visit from 30 police officers who took him away in front of his family like some international terrorist.
According to the charges, the journalist committed a crime against humanity — he wrote the truth. Specifically, he criticized the government for releasing ISIS fighters and mentioned corruption. In Riga, for such things you'd get at most an angry comment on social media, but in Istanbul they're already searching for IT equipment in your apartment.
"The fact that 30 police officers take away a journalist like a serious criminal is an act of intimidation," announced the DW director. Meanwhile, at Liepāja Central Market, local vendor Jānis commented: "Well yeah, we here also sometimes don't like what they write about our potato prices, but we don't take journalists away with the whole tram!"
Although in Turkey the charges sound threatening — "spreading misleading information," "insulting the president," and "insulting the nation" — in Liepāja we call that a "normal workday." Here you can safely write about any problem, and the biggest risk is receiving an offended Facebook post from local politicians.
⚠️ Satirical article. Facts are preserved, but the presentation is humorous. For accurate information, please refer to the original source.