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Two British journalists arrested in south-east Turkey

Two British journalists were arrested while covering the Turkish-Kurdish dispute for Vice News
Jake Hanrahan was arrested along with his cameraman Philip Pendlebury (@Jake_Hanrahan/Twitter)

Two British journalists were arrested in south-east Turkey on Friday while covering clashes between the Turkish security services and Kurdish activists.

Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury, reporting for Vice News, were arrested in the Bağlar district of Diyarbakır province.

According to sources in Hurriyet, the two journalists had been in close contact with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Vice News has in recent weeks frequently covered the unrest in southeastern Turkey, spending time with the PKK’s youth wing, the Patriotic Revolutionist Youth Movement (YDG-H).

Turkey has been criticised in the past for its heavy-handed approach towards journalists covering the country’s Kurdish disputes.

Foreign journalists in Turkey have previously faced threats of up to five years in jail for engaging with what the government calls “terrorist propaganda”.

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