PHOTO: Rami Jarrah with residents in opposition-held section of Aleppo, December 2015
UPDATE FEB 20, 1045 GMT: Journalist Rami Jarrah has been freed after three days in detention in southern Turkey.
In a message on Facebook, Jarrah said he was released without charges early Saturday morning. He was not given an explanation for his arrest.
I have been released by the Turkish authorities, I would like to thank everyone that participated in helping me by showing their support in all the ways this was expressed.
Unfortunately to this moment I have not received a direct or official explanation of why I was arrested and what I was being charged for however I understand that it developed from my crossing into Syria hence being arrested the first time as I departed. I appreciate the action that was taken to put a halt to whatever was happening but given the circumstances I was placed under and cases I witnessed of those in detention with me, I would like to shed light on at a later stage in order to ensure that justice is not only implemented in my case alone and why I was treated in such a manner.
The location I was transferred to late Wednesday evening contained prisoners that were all held under the same suspicion of being terrorist elements, all have not been charged and some have been there for upto 9 months after having being declared innocent by a court of law. It disturbs me that I was placed in this situation given my background and obvious distance from such an accusation
I understand the pressure the Turkish government is under and the responsibility it has in ensuring security and preventing terrorism from infiltrating or harming Turkey, however miscalculation or little research before action can mean that many become a victim of such a system.
Thank you again to everyone for their support and to those that took action in ensuring my release.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Turkish authorities have detained journalist Rami Jarrah, known for his first-hand reporting from areas such as Syria’s divided city of Aleppo.
Jarrah has been held since Wednesday after he tried to apply for a residency permit in the border city of Gaziantep, according to a journalist close to the case. He was briefly held in a detention facility for foreign citizens, but was moved to a different facility late Thursday.
The reason for the detention is unknown, but Jarrah is being questioned about his journalism. He has been allowed access to a lawyer and has not been formally charged with a crime.
According to ANA Press, co-founded by Jarrah, the journalist said he is detained in Adana in southern Turkey. He said that he feels unsafe, having been imprisoned with Islamic State members and argued with one of them.
Jarrah asked for immediate action to end his detention.
A recent photo of Jarrah with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is wearing a badge supporting the Syrian revolution:
Jarrah said he “lobbied Erdogan about detained journalists” during the meeting.
“Syrian Journalists Should Be Protected”
A contributor to international outlets, Jarrah fled Syria with his wife and child in 2011, fearing that his work had put him in danger. However, he has returned periodically to report from inside the country after the establishment of ANA Press, a leading source for footage and reports.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for Jarrah’s immediate release, with no obstruction to his journalism. The CPJ’s Nina Ognianova said, “Syrian journalists like Jarrah, who have turned to Turkey for safe refuge, should be protected rather than subjected to detention and harassment.”
In recent months, Jarrah has produced a series of videos from inside opposition-held areas of Aleppo, as Russia has carried out extensive bombing of the area. He has interviewed residents — including a live question-and-answer session in darkness with power from emergency generators — about life in Aleppo, the Islamic State, and their hopes and fears over Syria’s future.
