BBC correspondent Mark Lowen was deported from Turkey after being arrested in Istanbul on Wednesday, BBC said.
Lowen has been in Turkey for several days to report on liquid protests that caused the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamglu last week.
Imamoglu – who is held in prison for charges of corruption – is considered to be the chief political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The party chose him as a presidential candidate in the 2028 election.
In a statement published on Thursday, the BBC said: “This morning (March 27), the Turkish authorities deported BBC News Mark Lowen from Istanbul, took him from his hotel the previous day and detained it for 17 hours.”
On Thursday morning, he was handed a written notice that he had been deported for “public threat,” the statement said.
Mark Lowen said: “To be detained and deported from a country where I lived earlier for five years and for which I have such affection was extremely disturbing. Freedom of the press and impartial reporting are fundamental to any democracy.”
Executive Director of the BBC for News Deborah tourss has added: “This is an extremely worrying incident and we will give performances to Turkish authorities.
“Mark is a very experienced correspondent with a deep knowledge of Turkey and no journalist should face such treatment simply to do his job. We will continue to report impartial and fair about events in Turkey.”
Thousands of people across Turkey have proven to be protests that have seen more than 1,400 people so far.
Protesters say the arrest has a we have politically motivated, but the Ministry of Justice insists on his judicial independence.
President Erdogan marked the demonstration “Evil” and blamed the opposition for “disturbing peace”.
Several journalists have also been arrested, including the photojournalist of the French news agency Agence France Presse and several Turkish journalists. Many were reportedly announced on Thursday morning.
The night protests stopped, but the main Turkish opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), plans a set in Istanbul on Saturday.
