Turkey deports Dutch journalist on suspicion of 'links to terrorism'

A journalist working for the largest Dutch financial newspaper has been deported from Turkey on suspicion of “links to terrorism”, the latest to be ousted from the country accused of stifling press freedom.

Johanna "Ans" Boersma, who worked for Het Financieele Dagblad and other news outlets, said she was detained while submitting documents at an immigration office to extend her Turkish residence permit.

The 31-year-old said she was told to leave the country over “security reasons”  and reportedly told she not allowed to return to her home in Istanbul to collect her things.

"I got arrested yesterday (Wednesday), got deported this morning. Flying out now", Ms Boersma said in a messaging group for foreign journalists in Turkey.

Jan Bonjer, Het Financieele Dagblad’s editor, said he was “deeply shocked” at her expulsion. “Ans did her work sensibly and responsibly. This measure is a flagrant violation of press freedom,” he said.

A Turkish government official confirmed Ms Boersma's deportation but said it was "not related to her journalistic activities or her reporting from Turkey."

“The Turkish authorities have recently received intelligence from the Dutch police that Ms Boersma had links to a designated terrorist organisation and a request for information about her movements in and out of Turkey,” read a statement released by Fahrettin Altun, communications director of the Turkish presidency.

In a tweet sent out later by Mr Altun, he claims the Dutch authorities passed Turkey intelligence of links Ms Boersma is alleged to have had with Jabhat al-Nusra, a rebel group in Syria which was aligned to al-Qaeda before rebranding as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The group controls parts of the northern Syrian province of Idlib, along Turkey's border.

Since a 2016 coup attempt, Turkey has jailed thousands of people including journalists, academics and human rights activists.

Human rights defenders have raised concerns over a clampdown on freedom of expression in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with dozens of journalists and civil society activists put behind bars.

Turkey is ranked 157th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

In December, a Turkish court ordered the release from jail of an Austrian student and journalist charged with being a member of a terror group.

Max Zirngast, who writes for the far-left German-language magazine Re:volt, had been formally arrested by an Ankara court in September.

The deportation will also likely strain relations between the Netherlands and Turkey, which were only recently patched up after a row.

Ties between the two Nato allies deteriorated after the Netherlands prevented the Turkish politicians from holding campaigns for the Turkish community ahead of a constitutional referendum in April 2016.