Arrested journalist Joakim Medin’s wife: « It’s terrible »

When Joakim Medin lands in Istanbul on Thursday, he texts his wife Sofie Axelsson and announces that he has arrived. Then comes another text message, where he writes that he thinks he « will be picked ». The last message comes just before twelve: « Now they take me into interrogation ».

On Friday sheep She a greeting through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They announce that Joakim is doing well, under the circumstances.

– It was nice to hear it, when you haven’t heard something gets him for a day, she says.

Now she hopes that the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do everything they can to get him free.

– My husband has deprived of liberty of a country that is allied with Sweden. In this situation, the most important thing is that he is allowed to come home as quickly as possible, she says.

The reason for the arrest Has not been officially confirmed from any direction, but according to information to, among other things, the Reuters news agency, it should be that Joakim Medin has insulted President Erdogan and has been involved with terrorist organizations.

According to the Reuters news agency, Joakim Medin should have had a video meeting with the court in Ankara, where he was served formal suspicion of crime, which DN reported on earlier.

Reuters also writes The fact that the arrest of Medin is because he is suspected of being involved in the action where a doll depicting Turkey’s President Erdogan was hung outside Stockholm City Hall in January 2023. Reuters refers to Turkish authorities. According to the charges, Medin must have been one of 15 involved.

– Joakim Medin is a journalist, he does not sew dolls and does not hang them up. He is not linked to PKK or any other organization, he has traveled to Turkey many times on our behalf, says Dagens ETC’s editor -in -chief Andreas Gustavsson to DN.

Neither he nor Someone else on today’s ETC editorial staff had direct contact with Joakim Medin. At lunchtime on Saturday, Andreas Gustavsson stated for Dagens ETC that Medin had to meet his legal representative in prison, and that he did not know what he was accused of.

– He was able to convey a greeting to his closest and asked for a book to be able to pass the time in the cell, where he sits alone. He feels good according to the circumstances. The agent will now visit him daily, says Andreas Gustavsson to the newspaper.

To DN says Andreas Gustavsson that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to him that Joakim Medin was faced with a judge and prosecutor in Turkey. He has also received information that Joakim Medin should have been wanted by Turkey for « a number of years », which should have been the basis for the arrest.

– Based on Turkish media tasks, which in detail describes Joakim’s work as a journalist, especially trips to Kurd -controlled areas in other countries, it seems to have been a detailed survey of him for considerable time.

This was nothing you knew?

– No, no, then of course Joakim Medin had not gone to Istanbul. That there would have been a search for several years, Turkish authorities may claim, but it sounds highly unlikely.

Sofie Axelssonwho is also a journalist at Dagens ETC, says she received good support from colleagues and friends.

– My feeling is that many people think this is an important issue, both to get rid of Joakim and to mark for freedom of expression, she says.

– Independent journalism should be protected. We should be able to go to work without being detained, not least in countries that are allied with Sweden.

DN is looking for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.