Four European journalists were arrested in Mürşitpınar located in the Suruç district of Urfa, and deported after being accused of “entering Turkey illegally.”

Bianet reported that three Italian and one French journalist were arrested in Mürşitpınar on June 18. Giuseppe Acconcia from the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto and Samuel Forey from the French newspaper Le Figaro were deported on June 20. V.P. and R.C. from the Italian TV channel RAI have also faced the same charges and procedures.

Le Figaro editor Philippe Gelie told AFP Agency that their employee Samuel Forey had to travel to and from Girê Spî illegally in order to observe the ISIS defeat, and could only send in his article when he was arrested and taken to a Turkish police station. Giuseppe Acconcia from Il Manifesto spoke to RSF about his arrest and said that Turkish officials deported him.

Turkish journalists who are accused of “crossing the border” are not put on trial but given fees up to 3 thousand TL instead. This fee stays permanently in journalists’ records, which is worrisome in terms of journalists’ safety.