Turkish journalist Mehmet Andaç has been detained in the northwestern province of Çanakkale over a report on allegations that a businessman sexually abused two 15-year-old boys in Gelibolu.
Andaç was taken into custody on prosecutors’ instructions and transported from Çanakkale to the Gelibolu Courthouse, where he was accused of violating the confidentiality of an investigation. He was released after giving a statement to prosecutors.
Andaç denied the accusation, saying his report was published before the confidentiality order was issued. “I was only engaging in journalism. There was no crime,” he said. The timing of the report and the confidentiality order could not be independently verified.
The journalist also said police asked him to disclose his sources during questioning, but he refused. After his release he criticized his transfer from Çanakkale to Gelibolu, saying he had already given a statement to police.
The underlying case began on September 7, when police responding to a tip found 69-year-old businessman Ş.T. in a hotel room with two 15-year-old boys on Kore Kahramanlar Avenue in Gelibolu’s Alaeddin neighborhood. Ş.T, who owns two gas stations in the district, was arrested and jailed on charges of child sexual abuse.
The hotel’s operator, identified only by the initials M.P, was later separately arrested on charges of forging an official document, failing to report a crime and aiding in the sexual abuse of a child.
Following Ş.T.’s arrest the Gelibolu Municipality revoked the hotel’s operating license and sealed the premises indefinitely.
The Çanakkale Bar Association’s Children’s Rights Commission condemned the incident and called for an effective investigation and protection of the children’s identities. It warned that publishing children’s names, photos, school information or other identifying details on social media could violate their rights and cause further harm.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
