Swedish Journalist Joakim Medin Jailed in Turkey on Terrorism Charges

Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin has been jailed in Turkey pending trial on terrorism charges after covering protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest. Medin was detained in Istanbul as part of an investigation into a 2023 protest in Stockholm, where a mannequin resembling Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was hung outside the city hall. Turkish authorities have accused Medin and 14 others of organizing, promoting, or having links to the demonstration.

Medin, a reporter for the Swedish newspaper Dagens ETC, has been charged with “insulting the president” and “membership in a terrorist organization.” His employer raised concerns after he was unreachable for two days. Editor-in-Chief Andreas Gustavsson insisted Medin was being punished for doing his job. Turkish officials also cited his past reporting from Syria, Iraq, and southeastern Turkey between 2014 and 2017.

He was formally arrested via video conference by an Ankara court after questioning in Istanbul. Sweden has summoned the Turkish ambassador in Stockholm to seek clarification and demand that Medin receive urgent consular access, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told public broadcaster SVT.

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