French Photojournalist Mathias Depardon started a hunger strike on May 21th. He was arrested on May 8th while filming a documentary for National Geographic. Accused and sentenced of “propaganda for a terrorist organization” on May 11th, a deportation order was then issued by the Turkish courts.
However, the photojournalist is still retained in the detention center, bringing his captivity to two weeks. Reporters Without Borders calls for its immediate release in an open letter drafted, published and signed by twenty-one media this Tuesday, May 23.
Johann Bihr, head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia office, urged “the new French government to intervene firmly to protect the photographer and ensure his release”.
Thirty-seven years old, Mathias Depardon has lived in Turkey for five years.
