ISTANBUL — Two of Turkey's leading journalists were detained Thursday on what their newspapers said were false charges stemming from their work.
Writers Timur Soykan of BirGun and Cumhuriyet's Murat Agirel were arrested at their homes on charges of making threats and blackmail in an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
Both papers have criticized the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They have extensively covered events surrounding the March 19 arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Istanbul's mayor, which led to the largest protests in Turkey in more than a decade.
More than a dozen journalists have been detained at their homes after covering the protests, which were banned by the authorities. Seven face charges of participating in illegal protests after police determined they were not carrying out ''journalistic activities'' at the demonstrations. Prosecutors have previously called for jail terms of up to three years for the offense.
In a search of the journalists' homes in Istanbul, computers and other digital materials were examined, Cumhuriyet reported.
Enes Ermaner, the lawyer for both men, protested the early-morning arrests and said arrangements had previously been made with the prosecutor for them to voluntarily make statements Thursday.
''The detention of people who have made an appointment to testify and who are known to come to testify is not only unlawful, but also clearly shows that Enemy Criminal Law is being applied,'' Ermaner wrote on X.
Soykan and Agirel were taken to Istanbul's police headquarters after checks at a hospital. Police can hold them up to four days. No court dates were immediately set.
