On 29 February, Rudaw TV reporter Rawin Sterk and cameraman Mehmet Şirin Akgün was taken into custody while they were reporting about refugees awaiting at the Edirne border. Sterk was taken to Ankara following his detention and on March 6, he was arrested in relation to an ongoing case (which was filed on 2008) where he is standing trial for his social media posts.
On his first hearing held on September 2 at the 34th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, Sterk has been released with an international travel ban. Court rules to send Sterk’s file to the 3rd High Criminal Court of İstanbul to be merged with “KCK Press Trial” (2 September).
