The Swedish journalist Joakim Medin has been arrested in Istanbul for alleged “terrorism” and “insulting the president,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish authorities said on Sunday.
Medin was detained upon his arrival at Istanbul airport on 27 March 2025 and incarcerated the following day, according to the Turkish government’s disinformation centre. His arrest is reportedly linked to his participation in a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) protest in Stockholm.
The government asserted the arrest is unrelated to Medin’s journalistic activities. This comes amid the recent expulsion of a BBC reporter and the arrest of at least ten Turkish journalists covering ongoing protests sparked by the Istanbul mayor’s detention on 19 March.
The PKK is classified as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.
Medin is accused of attending a PKK/KCK supporter’s demonstration in Stockholm on 11 January 2023, where a puppet representing Turkey’s president was allegedly mocked.
Ankara’s general prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the incident involving fifteen suspects, including Medin, on 13 January 2023.
Additionally, Medin is charged with providing contacts between the PKK/KCK and the press.
