BBC correspondent Mark Lowen has been deported from Turkey after being arrested in Istanbul on Wednesday, the BBC has reported on Thursday.

Lowen had been in Turkey for several days to report on the ongoing protests that were sparked by the Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest last week.

Imamoglu - who is being held in jail on corruption charges he denies - is seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival. He has been selected by his party as presidential candidate in the 2028 election.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the BBC said: "This morning (27 March) the Turkish authorities deported BBC News correspondent Mark Lowen from Istanbul, having taken him from his hotel the previous day and detained him for 17 hours."

On Thursday morning, he was presented with a written notice that he was being deported for "being a threat to public order," the statement said.

Mark Lowen said: "To be detained and deported from the country where I previously lived for five years and for which I have such affection has been extremely distressing. Press freedom and impartial reporting are fundamental to any democracy."

The BBC's CEO of News, Deborah Turness, added: "This is an extremely troubling incident and we will be making representations to the Turkish authorities.

"Mark is a very experienced correspondent with a deep knowledge of Turkey and no journalist should face this kind of treatment simply for doing their job. We will continue to report impartially and fairly on events in Turkey."

According to the Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, 1,879 people were detained in the protests that began after the detention and arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.

Of those taken into custody, 260 were sent to prison, while 468 were placed under judicial control. 662 people are still in custody.

Title Photo: BBC