Journalist Hüsnü Mahalli referred to court for arrest

ISTANBUL

Journalist Hüsnü Mahalli, who was detained for allegedly insulting state officials on Twitter, was referred to court on Dec. 15 after he was taken to hospital for his illness.

Earlier in the day, Mahalli had been transferred to the Cerrahpaşa Medicine Faculty Hospital after falling sick during proceedings at the police headquarters. 

He returned to the police headquarters after receiving treatment at the hospital’s neurology unit, and he was later referred to Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse for arrest in the early evening.

Police detained Mahalli at his home on Dec. 13 and took him to police headquarters. Digital equipment at his home was also seized for investigation.

Mahalli was recently the subject of a debate on pro-government broadcaster A Haber following his remarks on a regime offensive in Syria’s Aleppo, with presenter Erkan Tan denouncing him as a “traitor.” Mahalli had criticized the Turkish media’s stance in reporting Aleppo, pointing to its indifference to events in Yemen or Libya.

Born in Syria’s Jarablus in 1949, Mahalli studied journalism at Istanbul University before working for international broadcasters such as the BBC, NBC, and media outlets in a number of Arab countries.