A journalist from the Turkish opposition daily Birgün has been arrested on charges of “spreading misleading information,” the newspaper reported.

Reporter İsmail Arı was detained in the Tokat province in northern Turkey, where he had been for the Ramadan Bayram holiday, and was later taken to Ankara on Sunday morning for questioning.

“İsmail has never lied to the public,” the left-leaning Istanbul-based newspaper, known for its investigations into Turkish authorities, wrote on social media platform X, without specifying which of his publications led to his detention.

“We repeat: journalism is not a crime. İsmail Arı must be released immediately,” the Turkish Journalists’ Union also responded, as cited by AFP.

The case follows a series of investigations against Arı in recent years, including accusations of “spreading misleading information” related to his publications.

At the end of February, a Turkish journalist working for the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle was also detained and imprisoned on charges of “insulting the president,” despite protests from German authorities and journalistic organizations.

The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders, which criticizes restrictions on freedom of information in Turkey, ranks the country 159th out of 180 states in its press freedom index.