The International and European Federations of Journalists described the arrest of ANF News Director Maxime Azadi in Belgium as "a dangerous precedent and is likely to threaten the security of Kurdish and Turkish exiled journalists in Europe”.
The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) released a statement regarding the arrest of Kurdish journalist Maxime Azadi in Belgium by Interpol police last Thursday.
The statement recalled that Maxime Azadi heads the Kurdish news agency Firat News (ANF), based in the Netherlands, and holds the blog https://blogs.mediapart.fr/maxime-azadi/blog on the Mediapart platform.
IFJ and EFJ remarked that Maxime Azadi was arrested by the Belgian police at the request of the Turkish authorities who suspected him of "collaboration with a terrorist organization". He was placed under arrest warrant on Friday by the investigating judge in Turnhout.
The statement noted that Azadi's lawyer filed a request for release on Monday and this will be examined by judicial authorities this Friday.
The IFJ and the EFJ expressed their concern at Maxime Azadi's arrest that “poses a dangerous precedent and is likely to threaten the security of Kurdish and Turkish exiled journalists in Europe”.
IFJ and EFJ added that both organizations plan to denounce this manifest violation of press freedom in Belgium in the Council of Europe.
