Turkey releases Vice News reporter held on terrorism charges -Vice

A Vice News reporter held on terrorism charges in Turkey was released on bail after spending more than four months in prison, the news magazine said on Tuesday.

 

The reporter, Mohammed Rasool, an Iraqi national, was detained in August, along with two other Vice journalists, both Britons, in southeastern Turkey and sent to prison.

 

A Turkish court freed the two British journalists on Sept. 3 but ruled to keep Rasool in custody pending investigation after assessing an appeal request from the trio's lawyers. 

 

Vice said a court document issued in Diyarbakir said Rasool was detained "as a protective measure" and was not allowed to leave Turkey. It said he must report to police twice a week.

 

The news magazine said Rasool, Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury were reporting on clashes between Turkish authorities and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) when they were taken into custody.

 

They were accused of "working on behalf of a terrorist organization," Vice said.