Turkish photojournalist charged with ‘insulting’ police over violent arrest at Pride march

Thousands have been detained in Turkey since a crackdown after the attempted coup against Erdogan

Bulent Kilic being arrested while covering the Pride march in Istanbul on 26 June, 2021 (Haco Biskin / Gazete Duvar / AFP)

Prominent Turkish photojournalist Bülent Kılıç, who was arrested while covering a banned Istanbul Pride march, is now facing prosecution for insulting the police who detained him, according to the press freedom group Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).

The Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer was pinned to the ground and knelt on by officers while working on coverage of the 26 June, 2021 event.

A court ordered authorities to pay him damages, ruling that police used “disproportionate force”, after the MLSA brought a case.