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The Grand Turk

Turk authorities detained WSJ reporter for almost 3 days

2017-01-01

Turkish authorities detained a Wall Street Journal staff reporter for 2½ days this past week, without permitting him contact with his family or attorneys before releasing him.

Shades of old Eastern Bloc behavior. I must say that I don't get as worked up about this as I used to. I suppose that's a moral failing of mine...

The reporter, Dion Nissenbaum, 49 years old, left Turkey to return to the U.S. on Saturday. Police took Mr. Nissenbaum from his Istanbul apartment on Tuesday evening. He was released from a detention center on Friday morning.

A person familiar with the matter said he was held for allegedly violating a government ban on publication of images from an Islamic State video.

“While we are relieved that Dion was released unharmed after nearly three days, we remain outraged at his peremptory detention, without any contact with his family, legal counsel or colleagues,” said Gerard Baker, editor in chief of the Journal.

Mr. Nissenbaum’s detention came amid a broader crackdown on press freedom in Turkey, where dozens of reporters, mainly Turkish, are behind bars. Since the summer, Turkey, where the government has imposed a state of emergency, has closed more than 100 domestic media outlets.

While in custody, Mr. Nissenbaum, a U.S. citizen, was denied access to lawyers despite repeated requests, he said. He also wasn’t allowed to contact his family or his employer. Mr. Nissenbaum said authorities told him he was under investigation, but they declined to say for what.

Turkish officials contacted Saturday did not respond to requests for comment.

I wouldn't push but so hard if I was a reporter trying to get them to comment. Which is the point of all this...

Plainclothes police told Mr. Nissenbaum when they detained him that he would be deported, according to Mr. Nissenbaum and a Journal staff member who was on the phone with him at the time. Police took Mr. Nissenbaum’s phone and led him away, leaving his wife and their seven-month-old child behind.

On the first night in police custody, Mr. Nissenbaum said, authorities asked him to sign a document written in Turkish. The document showed his Twitter handle and some personal information, he said. Mr. Nissenbaum said he declined to sign the document, insisting on an English translation. Police then told Mr. Nissenbaum that he didn’t have to sign anything, he said.

Mr. Nissenbaum was taken to a detention facility for foreigners outside of Istanbul. He said he was physically comfortable and treated well there.

So he wasn't in a Turkish prison. Perhaps a Turkish spa?

For two days, the Journal couldn’t determine Mr. Nissenbaum’s location. A person familiar with the situation said an administrative deportation order had been issued against him for allegedly violating the media ban. But the Journal’s representatives didn’t have access to documents about the case.

Late Thursday, the Journal confirmed Mr. Nissenbaum’s location and was told by people familiar with the situation that it should be ready to pick him up the following morning. He was released shortly after 10 a.m., without receiving any deportation order.

Mr. Nissenbaum’s family is accompanying him to the U.S.

Posted by:Steve White

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