Vice condemns Turkey journalist arrests

Two British journalists accused of working on behalf of a terrorist organisation in Turkey could face months in prison before learning the extent of the charges against them.

Correspondent Jake Hanrahan and cameraman Philip Pendlebury were arrested while filming for international online news channel Vice in the south-east region of Diyarbakir and have allegedly been charged with "working with a terrorist organisation".

They were detained while filming clashes between police and youth members of the pro-Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on 27 August.

“The allegations are baseless, they are ridiculous, they are ludicrous,” said Kevin Sutcliffe, Vice’s head of news programming in Europe.

The journalists were working without official accreditation but that was standard practice on such an assignment, he added.

Mr Sutcliffe rejected suggestions Vice had less rigorous guidelines about its journalists working in dangerous areas than other media organisations.